Dreams
by IsisMollyO
Summary: Serena and Darien are at it again: the fighting never ceases! But will they be able to mend their friendship and maybe even have some. . .love? But then Serena has these dreams that she can't understand. Will she ever know?
1. Chapter 1

Hello! This is my first fan fiction ever!! I co-wrote it with one of my friends, dragonseeker55, and it's turing out awesome! The parts in bold are the parts I wrote, and the rest is what she's written. Enjoy!

Chapter 1 

"Where in the hell is she!" a raven-haired girl in a fiery red Sailor suit called out angrily. Looking at the mailbox-like monster in front of her with smoldering violet eyes, she dodged its "flying letters of doom".

"I don't know!" a tall brunette in an emerald green Sailor suit responded. Her sparkling green eyes glittered menacingly at the ugly monster. "Mercury!"

A small frail girl in a blue suit typed furiously on a handheld computer. "Working on it" was what she yelled in response.

**"God, I'm so mad! She's _always_ late, especially when we need help!" yelled Sailor Mars. **

**"She's probably out with Darien or something, knowing her," replied Sailor Jupiter.**

**Mars tried hard to suppress an agitated scream.**

Meanwhile...

"Baka! Now look what you've done!" A blonde girl was complaining to the college boy she had conveniently ran into. Now her long hair was tangled on one of the buttons on his hideous green jacket.

**"I'm so sorry, Meatball Head," said the college boy, whose name happened to be Darien, sarcastically. **

**"No—you're—not!!!" She gave one final yank and was free from the grasp of the evil buttons. "AND DON'T CALL ME MEATBALL HEAD!!!!" She ran her fingers through her hair, trying futilely to make it straight again.** "My name is Serena! S-E-R-E-N-A! Say it right!" Serena Tsukino yelled, her face going red. Darien Shields smiled.

"Alright, Meatball Head. If you say so," he smirked. Serena balled her fists, eyes flaming with inner fire. He thought she looked cute.

_Wait, "cute?" Meatball Head? I must be losing my mind!_

**"Don't punch me! Please! I beg you!" exclaimed Darien.**

**"Well then DON'T CALL ME MEATBALL HEAD!!!"**

**"Yes ma'am, Dumplinghead." An evil grin spread across his face.**

**"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!" shouted Serena, and they both engaged in a tongue war.**

A stick-out-your-tongue war, to be exact. A beeping sounded from Serena's wrist. She looked at her pink wristwatch decorated with small gems and a gold star in a circle.

"Oh crap!" she exclaimed. Looking up at Darien, she stuck out her tongue at him once more before leaving behind a trail of dust.

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**"Took ya long enough!" shouted Mars. "Where have you been?"**

**"Uh. . .I can explain. . ."**

**"You better explain!" she shouted. **

**"We're getting pummeled with pieces of paper, if you haven't noticed!" shouted Jupiter. "We can talk later—OUCH!!!"**

**She had just received a fairly large paper cut on her left arm.**

**"DAMN THESE LETTERS!!!" she shouted.**

"You evil fiend! Hurting my best friend with papers of malevolence! I am Sailor Moon, Champion of Love and Justice, and in the name of the moon, I will punish you!" she ended with her trademark pose.

"Great," Sailor Mars remarked. "Sailor Moon learned a new word!"

**"Let's see how long she remembers it," said Sailor Venus blatantly. Sailor Mars giggled. **

**A woman happened to be walking by with her dog. **

**"Ma'am, may I borrow your dog for a moment?" asked Sailor Mercury. The dog was a fairly large beagle.**

**"Uh. . .sure?" the woman said, obviously both confused and rather shocked at the sight of an overly large flying mailbox. **

**"Take that, you mailbox of terror!" screamed Sailor Mercury as she let loose the dog. The dog ran after the Youma, barking and growling all the way. The mailbox flew away with terrified yelps.**

**"Well, that takes care of that," said Mercury triumphantly.**

The girls gave her weird looks before rounding on Serena.

"Spill," Lita demanded playfully. Serena sighed.

"I ran into baka again and my hair got tangled on the buttons of his ugly green jacket," she exclaimed.

"That's it?" Raye asked, eye brows furrowing together. "Man, you are lame."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

**"Enough!" shouted Mina. "It's too early for you two to be fighting _again_!!"**

**Serena and Raye gave her the evil eye, then began to argue again about something totally useless. Mina rolled her eyes.** "Come on, let's go home," she remarked, and the girls split separate ways.

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"SERENA! Wake up!" Luna's voice was in the sleeping girl's ear.

**"Uhhhh," groaned Serena. She groped around the bed, trying to find the one responsible for waking her from her beauty sleep so she could smack them. Luna stealthily avoided her outstretched hand.**

**"Come on, Sleeping Beauty," Luna said. "Lita has so _graciously_ prepared your breakfast."**

**"Gracious, smacious," Serena moaned, "we force her to make us breakfast."**

"Well, if that's your case, you're late for school," Luna said. Serena shot out of bed and pulled her hair.

"IIIIEEEE! Luna, why didn't you wake me up sooner!" Serena yelled, slipping on her rug and falling on her face.

**"Well, any sooner and you would have fallen back asleep, and we would still be here, arguing," said Luna matter-of-factly.**

**Serena grabbed the closet door handle to try and pull herself up, but then the handle broke off the door and she fell on her butt. **

**"AAHHH!!!" **

**Raye slid into the room. She looked up at Luna first, on the bed, then down at Serena. Up, then down. **

**"Serena, what are you doing down there? You're going to be late for school!" said Raye. **

**"I. . .I fell."**

**"Twice," interjected Luna.**

**"Down on your luck, eh?" asked Raye. Serena nodded her head slowly. Then she shook her head vigorously, looked at Raye and said, "Help me up, will you? I'm not going to sit here all day in my PJ's!"**

"Well, I would, but I think I hear Mina calling me," Raye smirked. "Bye!"

"Get back here! Mina's still sleeping!" Serena wailed.

**"Oh. Right," said Raye. She reached out her hand, and once Serena took it, she yanked her up as hard as she could pull.**

**"OUCH!!" screeched Serena. "What was that for?"**

**"For being a dumb blonde," she said.**

**"Grr," said Serena, and she stomped out of her room to see what Lita 'had so graciously prepared'.**

There was no food.

"Lita!" Serena screeched. "Where's breakfast!"

Lita Kino appeared from the kitchen. Her brown hair was in a ponytail out of her emerald green eyes, now glinting with annoyance. "You should've been down here an hour ago. We had eggs sunny side up, bacon, sausage, and orange juice."

"We?" Serena repeated.

"Yes, Amy, Mina, Raye, and I. Mina and Amy are already at school, Raye's school doesn't start for another half an hour, and I was waiting on you."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

**"Here are some leftovers from last night's dinner," Lita offered. Unfortunately for Serena, it was steamed vegetables over rice. **

**"Blah," said Serena. Her distaste was clear; she didn't even try to hide it.**

**"WELL, then, YOU can have NOTHING!!" Lita spat at her. She slowly laid the plate back in the fridge. "See if I care."**

**Serena grabbed her bag off the chair and stalked out the door, leaving Lita standing in the kitchen.**

Serena sprinted for her life, trying not to run people over. The passerby, familiar with the streamers of gold hair, nimbly sidestepped out of her way.

Effectively not all of them.

"Oof!" Serena mumbled as she slammed into something hard. About to fall, she was saved by strong, warm arms.

"I think it's becoming a habit of yours to bump into me everyday, Meatball Head," that hated familiar voice said in her ear.

**"It's not my fault that school always starts before I'm ready!!" shouted Serena. "AND DON'T CALL ME MEATBALL HEAD!!!!"**

**"Yeah. Sure. It's all the school's fault."**

**"Well, it is. . ." Serena realized she was sounding a lot like a middle schooler at this point.**

**"Well, catch you later. Wouldn't want you to be later than usual. The teachers might be happier," he said.**

**Too bad Serena was already too far away to here the second half of his sentence.**

Luckily, Serena made it to school before the bell rang. Unluckily, she ran into the Home Ec teacher and made him drop his cherry soufflé.

Of course, she got detention.

"But how?" Serena complained. It was lunch time.

"Mr. Peterson was making that dish so he could show his third period class!" Lita argued back, mad that she would never learn how to make the dessert.

**"Oh, come off it," said Serena. "It was purely an accident. I'm sure he could make another in a jiffy."**

**"Do you know how long it takes to make a soufflé?" asked Lita.**

**"A long time?" guessed Serena.**

**"Yeah. A long time," answered Lita.**

**"Are they good?" asked Serena. Lita gave her a look.**

"Of course," Lita said as she munched on chocolate chip cookies. "They're one of the tastiest desserts on the planet."

"Can you make me one?" Serena asked sincerely. Lita smiled.

"Yeah, when you get back from detention, and if I ever get to learn."

**Right. Detention. Serena grimaced at the thought. How many times had she seen that bleak little room now? Ten? Eleven? She couldn't remember. She couldn't even remember why she was in there all those times.**

**"Gonna have your tots?" asked Lita.**

**"Huh? Oh. Huh?" Serena shook her head. "Heck yes I am! You know I'm a junk food—er—junkie!!"**

The bell rang, and the girls rushed back to class.

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"Mars Fireball Surround!"

The fireball hit the octopus Youma square in the jaw. The monster growled and captured the Sailor Scout, slowly draining her energy.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!"

Surrounded by bubbles, it dropped Raye, who crawled over to Lita and Mina close by.

**"You okay, Raye?" asked Amy in a concerned tone.**

**"Yeah—fine—just finish him off, OK? I hate octopus."**

**Mina boldly stepped forward into its large shadow. **

"Venus Love Chain Encircle!" A whip of glowing gold hearts appeared and wrapped itself around the monster. Sailor Moon readied herself to attack, but the monster wrapped a tentacle around her throat. She gasped for breath.

**"Serena!" yelled the girls down below. Serena started to see white spots appear on her eyes as she stared into the eyes of the monster. In the huge pools of black, she saw something there. Was it fear? Nervousness? Empathy?**

**Her mind was torn from the thought as one of the girls attacked it from below.**

"Lita, no!" Serena yelled as Sailor Jupiter was knocked aside. Suddenly the monster dropped her with a yowl, and Serena looked up to see a steel-tipped red rose embedded in the tentacle that had held her.

Tuxedo Mask appeared from behind a tree.

**"In a bit of a pickle, are we?" Serena could see his sparkling blue eyes from where she lay. She tried to lift her head, but her whole body was numb, and Tuxedo Mask's sweet face was the last thing she saw before she blacked out.**

Tuxedo Mask swooped down and scooped up Sailor Moon. He knew from his special bond that connected them together that she had passed out. Smiling down at her sweet face, he set her down at the bottom of the sakura tree as the Scouts finished the Youma off.

**"Take that, you overgrown hunk of seafood!" shouted Sailor Mars as she threw a ball of fire at it. The Youma screamed, and a foul smell filled the air. The smell of burning flesh.**

**"Try that again, Raye!" shouted Mina. This time she conjured up a fireball five times as large. With all the strength her arms could give her, she threw the missile at the octopus. It was quickly engulfed in flames, and a high pitched scream filled the Scout's ears. They all put their hands over their ears to block the awful sound. **

**The Youma shriveled up into a tiny black pile of ashes in the air, and it fell to the ground. They cautiously removed their hands from their ears and surveyed the damage. Several nearby trees were scorched, and there were a few cuts and bruises, but that was about it. As Sailor Scouts, their bodies could handle a massive beating. Then, suddenly remembering, they rushed over to where Serena lay under the sakura tree, guarded carefully by Tuxedo Mask and all his splendor.**

Amy stopped running, realizing something.

"Uh, guys?" she called out. The Scouts, confused by the scared tone of her voice, ran back to her.

"What's wrong?" Mina asked.

"What if he heard our names?"

**"Uhh—uh-oh. We can just hope he didn't!" she said quietly back to Amy.**

**"Didn't what?"**

**Tuxedo Mask was right behind them. _How does he do that?_ Mina wondered. **

**"Oh—nothing. Nothing at all." She smiled up at him. Boy, was he tall. "Is Sailor Moon okay?"**

**"She'll be fine. She's just unconscious, that's all." He smiled back. "Well, since the world, meaning Sailor Moon, is saved again, I'll just leave now," he said. And with a swish of his long, silky cape, he was gone. **


	2. Chapter 2

Don't forget--I wrote the bold parts, and dragonseeker55 wrote the not-bold parts

Chapter 2

Serena woke up from the oddest dream.

_She walked through a misty forest, slimy vines reaching out to grab her. She grimaced in disgust, but stopped when she heard a voice._

_"Serenity...Serenity..." it was faint and masculine._

_Serena ran in the direction of the voice. She stumbled on a root and fell into a broad clearing._

_"Ow," she said as she rubbed her head. Looking up, she saw the silhouette of a tall man. The shining moon obscured his face, but Serena saw ebony black hair and midnight blue eyes._

_"Serenity," his husky voice beckoned her closer. "Find me, and forgive me for what I've done to you."_

_"What have you done?" she asked softly. His form grew faint, along with his voice._

_"Find me."_

Serena shot up, gasping. **She looked around her bedroom. _Wait a minute. . .wasn't I just—_but then her memory came flooding back. The Youma. She'd been in its tight grip. Dropped down—Tuxedo Mask's face—she must have passed out. And the girls had taken her back to her apartment. She stared at her curtains. _What does this mean?_ She wondered. _That voice. . ._**

**The sun started to peak through her curtains. _Oh, well, no use going back to sleep now,_ she thought. She climbed out of bed, put on a house robe, and headed for the kitchen. **

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"Hey Andrew!" Serena exclaimed. Andrew did a double take in spite of himself.

"Serena? What are you doing here at 9:00 in the morning on a Saturday?" he answered, surprised. Serena smiled.

"I had this weird dream last night and couldn't go back to sleep," she replied.

"What about, the world ran out of food?" a taunting voice floated behind them.

**Did you guess Darien? Well, you're right. The dark-haired blue-eyed wonder appeared beside them.**

**"No, not about that! But that would be horrible," she said.**

**"Then what about?"**

**She was on the brink of telling him, but stopped herself short.**

**"Uhhhh. . .nothing."**

**"Nothing?"**

**"Nothing you need to know about."**

"Really?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yes, really," she huffed, sipping the apple juice Andrew had given her. "What are you doing here so early in the morning, baka?"

He smirked, making her insides melt. _Did I just do that? This is Baka, the man you loathe!_

"I could ask the same the same about you," he answered, settling down on the stool next to her with a black cup of coffee. His nearness made her head swim.

**"I already said that I was up early because of that dream I had."**

**"Now, if only you could get up this early _every_ day. . ."**

**She gave him a look of disgust. "Are you kidding me? That would be horrible! Maybe in your dreams. . ."**

"Naw," he replied before sipping his coffee. "That would be a nightmare!"

Serena huffed, insulted.

**"Well, just to let you know, _you _weren't in my dream, and thank God because that would have been the worst nightmare ever!"**

**Now it was Darien's turn to look insulted.**

**Serena was saved from his retort by the appearance of a very blonde friend.**

**"Oh, great! They're at it again! Why can't we have some _peace_ in our lives?"**

**Mina's head poked out in between theirs, looking at each of them in turn. She then flipped her hair back and rounded on them.**

Mina then caught her eye on Darien's good-looking friend.

"Good morning, Andrew," she said shyly, pink tinting her cheeks. Andrew turned his green eyes to the bubbly blonde and smiled, making Mina's insides flip.

"Good morning, Mina," he replied.

**"H-how was your n-night?" she asked. Was she stuttering? Around Andrew? She couldn't believe it. How embarrassing!**

**"It—it was fine," he said, looking away briefly and rubbing the back of his neck. Serena stared in wonder.**

"Andy, are you okay?" Darien asked his friend, concerned.

"I'm fine, Dare. Neck was itchy. Excuse me," he rambled, going to meet some customers. Serena smiled sinisterly at his obvious embarrassment and Mina's nervous look.

"Uh oh, the rusty wheels in Meatball Head's head are trying to turn," Darien joked, sipping his lukewarm coffee.

**"Oh, come on, Dar. Can you be nice for _once?_" Mina asked haughtily. **

**"Wait! If you are really quiet, you can almost hear them turn. . ."  
"Darien!"**

**"What? Can't I have a little fun _once_ in a while?" Mina rolled her eyes.**

"Yes, you can, but not at my expense," Serena retorted, close to tears. Darien, like always, didn't notice.

"But then it's no fun if I can't make fun of you," he answered. "Besides, you're easy to insult."

Serena gasped, widening her eyes. How dare he just say that! THAT went beyond the gentle banter that they had engaged in. Thoroughly disgusted with the creep, Serena calmly took her unfinished apple juice and tipped it over Darien's black hair. He sputtered, enraged.

"At least I know where I'm not wanted," she said, her voice shaky as the tears flowed freely down her face. Turning, she sprinted out of the Arcade. Andrew ran up to them, and Darien was looking at a pair of obviously angry blondes.

**"What'd you do now, Dar?" Andrew asked in a bored tone. "More insults?"**

**"What, does the whole world hate me or something?" Darien replied, throwing up his hands.**

**The other girls gave him looks that told him 'yes'. **

**He sighed, and grabbed a towel from behind the counter to wipe off his apply-scented head.**

"Darien!" Obviously Raye had entered. "I just saw Serena running down the street crying. Did you say something to her?"

"Something about easy to insult," Mina told her. Raye's violet eyes smoldered while Lita cracked her knuckles, an evil smile on her face. Darien gulped.

Uh oh.

**"Er—did I say something wrong?" Darien asked.**

**"Darien, how stupid _can_ you get? Honestly." She threw a punch, and Darien moved his head to the side just in time. He felt a whoosh of air across his cheek.**

**"Hey! Be nice," he said pleadingly. **

"Maybe you should take your own advice," Amy said angrily. Everyone looked at her strangely. When Amy was mad--which wasn't often--all heaven and hell broke loose. Before anyone could blink, Amy slapped Darien in the face. Hard.

"Go and apologize to her. Now," Amy added in a deathly soft voice.

Darien cupped his bruised and red face, shocked. Only the sound of Lita popping her fingers gave him the initiative to run.

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**He had been running for at least five minutes now. Where he was going? He wasn't even sure. A little playful joke had suddenly turned into a crime, and he was the accused. What now? Find Serena and apologize? Go back and try to talk some sense into the girls? Keep running until his legs fell off and he was halfway to the North Pole? He had no idea what to do. **

**Running was a good thing. It somehow calmed the nerves and cleared the mind. He could feel a soft, cool breeze against his face, and it seemed to wake up even the very deepest parts of him. Images of people and places passed by, not really registering in his mind. He took a deep breath. **

**Then, there, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a swish of long, blonde hair. He gasped and stopped short.**

**"Uh. . .Serena?" he said, panting. She slowly turned her head to look at him, hatred burning in her eyes. **

"What do you want, you arrogant pig? Insult me even more? Comment on my lack of humor?" Serena spat out, fury in her voice. Darien felt guilty, because he had put it there.

"No," he said softly, meeting her eyes. They seemed to glow with inner fire. "I came to apologize."

She laughed; a cold, cruel sound. "Sure. As if I'd fall for that one," she commented, voice icy. She began to walk away from him, but he followed her to the park.

**"Serena—wait," he said, desperately. **

**"What." It was a statement.**

**"Really, I'm serious. I want to apologize. I know I've been a butthead lately—"**

**"Yeah, much," Serena interrupted. **

**"And—well—I'm sorry, Serena."**

**She stopped short. Her back was still to him. Then she whirled around. He prepared himself for impact, but it never came.**

**"Apology accepted." With that, she whirled back around and stalked away. But her steps somehow seemed softer than before.**

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"Disturbing people in love is unthinkable and the lowest kind of low! I am Sailor Moon, Champion of Love and Justice and in the name of the Moon, I will punish you!"

The Youma laughed before attacking. Serena dodged the full-on brute force, but not the metal pole acting as its arm.

"Ow," she muttered, rubbing her head. She didn't notice the monster coming back at her.

"SAILOR MOON!"

Serena registered the voice in her mind as Mina's before being scooped up in warm, strong arms. She looked up at Tuxedo Mask's face. **"Hello, Sailor Moon," he said in a soft, cool voice. She stared up into his handsome face. **

**"Er—thanks for saving me, again," she muttered.**

**"Anytime." He set her back on her feet. She could hear dim noises from behind her that signaled the Sailor Scout's struggle with the Youma. But all she was worried about was staying close to Tuxedo Mask.**

"Use your tiara," he murmured warmly in her ear. She nodded and took her stance, his hands on her waist.

"Moon Tiara Action!" The Youma screamed upon impact and was "ashed".

"Yes!" Serena yelled, pumping her fist in the air. Still feeling his hands on her, she turned to Tuxedo Mask. "Thanks again," she mumbled.

He smiled, melting her heart, and magically produced a red rose for her. She took the thornless stem, speechless.

"No, thank you," he replied softly. He gently placed a kiss on her cheek and bounded off into the night.

**Serena felt her cheek, touching it gingerly. _I'll never wash my face again. . ._**

**"Nice job, Serena," said Amy, patting her back. "Another Youma out of the way. When will Beryl come to her senses?"**

**"Probably never," Raye moaned.**

"Aw, cheer up Raye!" Serena said, exuberantly happy. She clutched the beautiful rose to her chest and sighed.

_Who are you, Tuxedo Mask?_

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**Later on that day, Serena was laying on the couch, contemplating what had happened in the park between her and Darien. He had said he was sorry, and it sounded genuine. And she had accepted his apology. Was he really that sorry? **

**_Yes,_ said a voice in her head. She hoped he was sorry. **

_What am I feeling for him?_ she thought worriedly._ I'm acting like a lovesick puppy around him. Am I finally losing my mind?_ Suddenly the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey Serena, it's Amy. Are you feeling better?"

Serena smiled at her friend's concern. "Yeah, I'm fine. I accepted Darien's apology."

"Good. I had to slap him to make him go after you."

**"Really? You slapped him? Excellent!!"**

**Amy made a strange noise. "Well, I'm glad you accepted his apology. Maybe now we can have a get-together without you two bickering every moment of the day!"**

**"That's only if he doesn't start insulting me again!"**

**"Why would he do a thing like that, after he apologized?"**

**Serena thought for a moment. "Well, he _is_ Darien, ya know."**

Amy giggled, making Serena giggle with her. "Say, Sere," Amy asked, "do you like Darien?"

Serena froze. Did she? Now that she thought about it, she was acting weird around him lately, but maybe it was because he reminded her so much of Tuxedo Mask.

"Why do you ask, Ames? Do you like him?" Serena said coyly.

**"What! Are you kidding!" They both burst into a fit of laughter. In their mind's eye, they could just see a flabbergasted Darien holding hands with their baffled bluenette friend. It was too much to handle, and they couldn't contain their laughter. **

"Yeah, just kidding!" Serena said half-heartily. Her spirits fell slightly. "Hey Ames, I'll talk to you later. Bye."

"Bye."

Serena hung up the phone and stared out the window, her thoughts between Darien Shields and Tuxedo Mask.

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**That night, Serena was lying in bed, thinking about sleep, but it wouldn't come. She had tried everything, but nothing worked. She couldn't stop thinking about that dream she had had. **

_**"What have you done?" she asked softly. His form grew faint, along with his voice.**_

_**"Find me."**_

**Find who? Why? What had he done? That voice had sounded so familiar, yet she still couldn't place it. Darkness slowly closed in about her, and her thoughts began to wander until she was finally asleep.**

_The dream came to a forest clearing. Serena saw a huge black horse grazing on the lush grass near the waterfall. Under a nearby willow, Serena saw a man lying in the grass._

_Moving closer, Serena widened her eyes. This man was beyond handsome. His ebony hair was tousled, falling into closed eyes. His bronze skin complemented his hair. His strong jaw and high cheekbones make him look like a Greek god._

_Black plate armor covered his lean and muscled form. A red-and-black cape attached to his broad shoulders pooled half over his long body. Serena could not resist and settled next to him._

_She wore a flowing white dress that spilled over her. Her blonde hair glowed gold in the moonlight and cascaded down her back._

_"Endymion," she murmured tenderly, caressing his face. How she knew his name was beyond her comprehension at the moment._

_His eyes snapped open, and Serena gazed into orbs of midnight blue. "You came," he whispered, a hand coming to rest on her cheek. She put a hand over his._

_"How could I not?" she answered, smiling at him. He propped himself on his elbows and gently pulled her face down to his..._

BRING! BRING!

**Serena groaned. That stupid phone had interrupted her amazing dream! Who could be calling her at this dreadful hour? **

**BRING BRING!**

**She rolled over to look at her clock. The red digits told her that it was past two in the morning. She groaned and rolled back over to grab the phone off her nightstand, but then paused. She was having second thoughts.**

**BRING BRING!!!**

**_All right,_ she thought. She grabbed the phone off its stand and pressed the talk button.**

**"Hello?"**

"Serena? Are you awake?"

Serena sat straighter in her bed, dumbfounded.

"Darien?"

"Yo," he replied. "So, are you awake?"

"Now I am," she answered sleepily, yawning.

**"I—I just had the strangest dream—"**

**Serena froze. He hadn't—no. Had he?**

**"Wha—what about, Dar?"**

**"There was this girl. She was beautiful. Serena, I'm talking _gorgeous_."**

**She felt a pang of jealously. Her? Jealous?**

"What did she look like?" Serena asked, leaning back on her headboard.

"She wore this beautiful white dress that flowed everywhere. Her hair was silver in the moonlight. Her sky blue eyes winked at me and her forehead..."

"What about it?"

"There was a gold crescent moon on it, and it was glowing." Serena looked at the phone. "Anyway," he continued, "she called me by a weird name."

**"Endymion," she whispered.**

**"What?" Darien asked.**

**"Nothing."**

**"Well, she called me. . .Indemon or something."**

**"Wow. . .that is a weird name. Darien, I have to tell you something."**

**"What, Sere?"**

**She paused. Should she tell him?**

**_Yes,_ said the voice in her head. **

**"Darien—remember that one day, when we were at the Aracade, and I had gotten up early and everything?"**

**"Yeah."**

**"Well—I was on the verge of telling you that dream?"**

**"Yeah?"**

**"I—I had the same dream you did."**

**"You did? That's really weird."**

**"Yeah, it is. . ." Serena was getting very suspicious about the whole thing. What was going on?**

**"Who do you think those people are?" Darien asked.**

**"I have no idea. But that name you were called—Endymion—sounds really familiar, but I can't quite place where."**

**"Well, I've never heard of it," Darien said. She thought she heard something strange in his voice. Like he wasn't telling the truth or something. But why would he lie about something like this?**

"Are you sure about that?" she asked, a growing panic in her gut.

"I'm positive, Serena. Oh, by the way, have you heard of the name Serenity?"

A bright flash in her mind registered the name, but nothing more.

"No, I haven't," she replied, uneasy. "Goodnight, Darien."

"Sweet dreams, Serena."

**She set the phone back in its cradle, then flopped back down on her bed. She hugged her pillow and let a tear flow onto it. What was going on? What was the point of these dreams? **

Deciding to let Raye see into her mind tomorrow, Serena finally fell in a dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Remember now. . .boldme, not bold does not. . .dragonseeker55 has the unbold not boldness! Muhahaha!

Chapter 3

_"Find me..."_

Serena thought about that voice. It was deep and husky, with a sense of command in it. It compelled her, yet it was a warning of some sort. She was heading toward the library in hopes of researching her dream.

_Serenity and Endymion..._she thought, hoping the names would lead a clue to her confused state of mind. Of course, not watching where she was going, she bumped into someone hard.

**"Hello, O Amazing Meatball Head." Serena didn't look up. She didn't need to. "Er—are you feeling okay?" She nodded, then finally let her gaze fall onto his face. He looked rather fetching in the morning light. _Fetching? What the hell is wrong with you!_**

**"I was just on my way to the library. I wanted to research that dream I told you about. Maybe make some sense of it."**

**"Yeah, I would like to know more about it too," he replied. **

Serena started fiddling with some of her hair. "Would you like to come with me?" she asked nervously. To her dismay, he shook his head.

"I would love to, but I've got errands to run," he replied sadly. Walking away, he called over his shoulder, "See ya later, Meatball Head."

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The only book they had with the names was an old leather-bound journal written in a language unknown to the 21st century.

"Here's a translator novel for you so you can try to read it," the old but kind librarian said, smiling. "And since you're so determined," she added in a whisper, "you can keep them. Just don't tell anyone."

Serena smiled wide. "Thank you so much!"

**She plopped herself down on a table, opened up the leather-bound book, then opened up the other book, and began to decipher.**

**"In ye oude tijd, gebruikten de Goden om op de Maan te leven. Glanzende orb van zilver werd gekletst om het oog van godinselene te zijn op de planeet van blauwe en groene geroepen Terra voor altijd om te letten. Het was hun magisch dat toegelaten hen om het land van de planeten, exclusief de verachtelijke plaats van Terra elk te reizen en te zegenen. Selene, godin van de Maan, was mooier dan dodelijk. Ogen van lavendel, haar van gesponnen maanlicht, cijfer dat van het zuiverste marmer wordt gesneden, bezat zij schoonheid voorbij alle Goden. Zij maakte een mens, van haar vlees en bloed en maakte haar Koningin van de groeiende beschaving op de Maan. Selenity ving het veel hart van de jeugd, maar weigerde elke aanbieding van huwelijk. Tot lad zich deed Solaris voor. Solaris was prins van de glanzende bol van de Zon; eerlijk haar, gouden huid, gespierd cijfer. Zijn donkergroene ogen vingen de saffierdegenen van Selenity bij a bal-en haar hart. Drie later jaar, vormden zij de Zilveren Alliantie, het samenbrengen van de planeten. De Koningin vertrouwd op adviseur-allen werd vrouwelijk- in paren gerangschikt met geselecteerde mensen van het koninkrijk van Solaris en maakte heersers van de planeten. Hun kinderen zouden een era van macht brengen niet die in over duizend jaar wordt gezien. Vijf later jaar, was de Sereniteit van de Prinses geboren aan de Koningin van de Maan. Solaris had met een ongeneeslijke ziekte overgegaan en zegen op hun ongeboren dochter op zijn deathbed geplaatst. De sereniteit groeide om de schoonheid en de vriendelijkheid van haar moeder te overtreffen. De ogen van de wolkenloze hemel, haar van gesponnen maanlicht met binnen gemengde bundels van zonlicht, Sereniteit waren de meest caing persoon u befriend kon. Zij hield de harten van de prinsessen van de Binnenplaneten: Prinses Amelia van Kwik, Prinses Jasmina van Venus, Prinses Lorraina van Mars, en Prinses Hippolyta van Jupiter. Zij ontmoette en befriended toen de prinsessen van de Buitenplaneten: Prinses Harukana van Uranus, Prinses Michiruna van Neptunus, babyprinses Hotaru van Saturnus, en het oudst van de buitenprinsessenprinses Setsuna. Het was na dat zij aan Terra, tegen de wensen van haar moeder en de oude wet, daalde en de knappe Prins Endymion ontmoette. Endymion was een gezicht aan behold. Haar donkerder dan het donkerste ebbehout, ogen de kleur van de blauwste middernachthemel, een lichaam om de historische Griekse Goden te wedijveren. Zijn hart was vriendelijk aan de Prinses van de Maan, en zij vielen in verboden liefde. Geslagen ramp. Een kwade koningin veroverde de Maan en doodde de liefde van de Prinsessen, die de Prinses drijft aan zelfmoord om met hem te zijn. Koningin Selenity, verloor al hoop en haar vernietigd koninkrijk, gebruikte de bevoegdheid van het Zilveren Kristal Imperium om het kwaad weg te verzegelen dat haar leven had vernietigd. Gebruikend laatste van haar energie, verzegelde zij haar dochter, haar liefde, en kinderen van de Maan in bevroren moonbeam kristallen en verzond hen naar de toekomst, hun geheugen dat voor altijd aan hen wordt vergeten. Zij stuurde haar adviseurs, de het spreken katten Luna en Artemis, de Prinses van de Maan en haar beschermers zo kwaad vinden van het heelal worden geschuurd nogmaals en het Kristal is reborn krachtiger dan voordien."**

**Wow. This was going to take forever. She recognized a few words, like Prinses looked like Prince, and Prinsessen looked like Princess. She also saw names like Endymion and Serenity in there. Slowly, agonizingly, word-by-word, she translated the excerpt. With every few words, her heart rate quickened. This was the answer she was looking for:**

"In ye old time, the Gods used to live on the Moon. The shining orb of silver was rumoured to be the goddess Selene's eye to forever watch the planet of blue and green called Terra. It was their magic that enabled them to travel and bless the land of each the planets, excluding the vile place of Terra.

Selene, goddess of the Moon, was more beautiful than any mortal. Eyes of lavender, hair of spun moonlight, figure carved from the purest marble, she possessed beauty beyond all the Gods.

She made a human, from her flesh and blood and made her Queen of the growing civilization on the Moon. Selenity captured many a youth's heart, but refused every offer of marriage. Until the lad Solaris came along.

Solaris was prince of the shining globe of the Sun; fair hair, golden skin, brawny figure. His deep green eyes captured Selenity's sapphire ones at a ball--and her heart.

Three years later, they formed the Silver Alliance, the bringing together of the planets. The Queen's trusted advisors--all female--were paired with selected men from Solaris' kingdom and made rulers of the planets. Their children would bring an era of power not seen in over a thousand years.

Five years later, Princess Serenity was born to the Queen of the Moon. Solaris had passed on with an incurable disease and had placed blessings upon their unborn daughter on his deathbed. Serenity grew up to surpass her mother's beauty and kindness.

Eyes of the cloudless sky, hair of spun moonlight with strands of sunlight mixed in, Serenity was the most caring person you could befriend. She held the hearts of the Inner Planets' princesses: Princess Amelia of Mercury, Princess Jasmina of Venus, Princess Lorraina of Mars, and Princess Hippolyta of Jupiter.

She then met and befriended the Outer Planets' princesses: Princess Harukana of Uranus, Princess Michiruna of Neptune, baby Princess Hotaru of Saturn, and the eldest of the outer princesses Princess Setsuna of Pluto.

It was after that she descended to Terra, against her mother's wishes and the ancient law, and met the handsome Prince Endymion.

Endymion was a sight to behold. Hair darker than the darkest ebony, eyes the color of the bluest midnight sky, a body to rival the historical Greek Gods. His heart was kind to the Moon Princess, and they fell into forbidden love.

Disaster struck. An evil queen conquered the Moon and killed the Princess' love, driving the Princess to suicide to be with him.

Queen Selenity, all hope lost and her kingdom destroyed, used the power of the Silver Imperium Crystal to seal away the evil that had destroyed her life. Using the last of her energy, she sealed her daughter, her love, and the children of the Moon in frozen moonbeam crystals and sent them to the future, their memories forgotten forever to them. She sent her advisors, the talking cats Luna and Artemis, to find the Moon Princess and her guardians so evil would be scoured from the universe once again and the Crystal be reborn more powerful than before."

**This was amazing! This was old, forgotten history! But some of it was so weird. . .Prince of the Sun? Goddess of the Moon? How could anyone actually _live_ in those places?**

**Well, the translation was done, so she figured that it was time to go home. **

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Serena sat and picked up the phone, calling the girls to come to her apartment. They agreed to come over. Then Serena had the hard task of calling Darien. But she decided to wait until after the meeting.

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Serena read the last part of the translation to the crowd assembled before her.

"Well, it does mention the Moon Princess," Raye mused. Her eyes held double meaning; this translation was a clue for their mention to find the Moon Princess.

"Yes, but it also mentions the Earth prince," Serena replied, "and he's been haunting my dreams."

"I wonder who this Earth Prince might be?" asked Mina.

"Don't we all," Lita put in.

"And Endymion keeps urging me to find him," Serena added. "Trouble is, if he's reborn in this world, he could be anywhere."

**"And," added Mina, "it says something about her children being sent to the future, and the talking cats Luna and Artemis being sent as guardians. And we know Luna and Artemis. Are we part of this whole thing?"**

**"Well, what if the Luna and Artemis we know aren't the ones in the book?" asked Raye.**

**"Raye, seriously. How many talking cats do you know?" Raye sighed.**

**"Well, if it is us, then I guess we have some searching to do," she said. "Finding that Crystal _and_ scouring evil from the Universe."**

**"And we all know what scouring evil from the Universe means," said Amy. "Destroying Beryl."**

**"So, where it says 'the talking cats Luna and Artemis, to find the Moon Princess and her guardians', maybe that is a clue that it could be us," said Amy.**

**"But that doesn't make any sense!" said Serena. "I mean, who would be the Moon Princess? Who are the Guardians?"**

**"Well, since we're Sailor Scouts, maybe that makes us Guardians," said Lita.**

**"Yeah, maybe" was Serena's answer.**

**"And it did also say that they wouldn't have their memories from way back then," said Amy, "And we certainly don't have those memories, so it _could_ be us."**

**"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Serena. **

**After the discussion, Serena decided it was time to call Darien. _Here we go,_ she thought.**

**"Hello?"**

**"Hey, Dar, it's Serena."**

**"Wow, you sound tired."**

**"Yeah, well wouldn't you be after hours of translating a dead language?" Silence followed.**

**"So. . .did you find out anything?"**

**She had to be careful about what she said. "No, not much. Just a bunch of stuff about Moon Princesses and scouring the universe for evil and stuff like that."**

**"Oh. I don't know anything about that stuff." There it was, again. His tone of voice. . .it just didn't sound right. But why would he be lying about something he didn't know? Or at least she was sure he didn't know. How could he, anyway?**

**"Well, if that's it, then I guess I'll let you go," said Darien.**

**"Bye, Dar."**

**"Bye, Sere." **

**She heard a soft click, then she too hung up. Her friends had already resumed their regular activities. She could smell dinner cooking. But the silence in the house was pressing. They were all wondering the same thing: what does it mean?**


	4. Chapter 4

Let's see if you remember. . .oh wait! you don't! OK then, here's the reminder! Anything in bold is written by me (you know, all the good parts) and the rest of the not-boldness is dragonseeker55's, whose real name you shall never know. Hee hee! (I hope having you remember this doesn't make you remember The Game, and if you don't know what The Game is, go to . Oh, this stupid website keeps taking it out! Ok, lose the game . com but without the spaces, obviously. (Oh dangit, I just lost The Game!)) Yay, it worked now!

Chapter 4

"I am so tired of these things!" Serena exclaimed angrily as she dodged the Youma's. . .daisies?

"Is Beryl so weak to use _daisies_ as a weapon?" Lita asked, trying so hard not to laugh.

**"Maybe she's on vacation, and she thought it'd be funny to have us battle an overgrown flower," said Amy. "Or maybe she's gone soft.**

**"Wouldn't that be nice," groaned Raye.**

**The Youma launched another attack of its Daisies of Doom, and the Scouts swatted them away. Those things could hurt a bit! Serena hit the thing with a burst of light. It reared, then launched a spray of bright yellow pollen in their direction. The girls started sneezing like mad.**

**"What is this—a—a—CHOO!!" shouted Serena. **

**It was then they heard the strange buzzing noise.**

**From the distance, they could see a swarm of bees headed their direction.**

**"Oh crap!!" they shouted in unison. They turned and ran as fast as their legs could carry them. But the Youma was too stupid to move, and it got stung to obliteration in the bee's mad haste to collect the pollen.**

**"Well, that's a strange way to kill a Youma," remarked Serena. "But I suppose if it works, then it works!"**

**The gang giggled.**

**"I wonder what'll be next. . .the Unicorns of Death?" Amy's idea made them laugh even harder.**

"C'mon guys, let's go home," Serena said as she detransformed. The others followed suit and went their separate ways, yawning.

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**The next morning, Serena woke up—late as usual. But that was okay, seeing as this day was Saturday. _Thank God,_ she thought. The fearless leader of the Sailor Scouts slowly crawled out of bed, almost collapsing onto the floor again, then changed out of her pajamas and into something comfy—for her, a pair of jeans and a cute tank top. She then sat down at her vanity, and slowly brushed out the tangles in her long blonde hair. It took forever, there were so many tangles. And so much hair. _Maybe I should get it cut. . ._ she thought for about the thirty gazillionth time in her life. But then, she wouldn't look like Sailor Moon anymore, and that would be a tragedy. She then got up and walked out of her apartment to take a stroll through the park. **

**But when she got to the Arcade, she had second thoughts, then stopped, turned around the entered the brightly lit space. She walked up to the counter. She almost turned around and went back out again, but didn't. **

**There, on one of the bright red bar stools, was that ebony mop of hair.**

Taking on an expression of mischief, Serena slowly crept up to the owner of the mop of soft and thick-looking ebony hair.

_There I go again!_ she thought, frustrated. **_How come I like him so much? No, wait, not that word! 'Like' and 'him' should _not_ go in the same sentence, unless there's a 'don't' in it! _His hair was looking good today. . ._snap out of it!_**

Andrew, being the ever good Arcade owner that he was, watched the emotions flare across his friend's face, who was currently standing behind Darien.

_Wonder what's going on?_

Serena crept even closer to her enemy, unaware that he had sensed her already. Of course, being Tuxedo Mask gave the normal man super sensory upgrades.

**"Boo," he whispered. Serena screamed and jumped back as Darien slowly turned around to face her. She was on the floor, her golden hair streaming across her face, panting, a frightened look still on her face. "And how is beautiful Meatball Head today?"**

**Snapping out of her daze, she quickly jumped back up, grabbing onto the nearest booth for support. She flung the hair out of her face, gave Darien an angry glare, and inhaled a giant breath. Andrew was ready with his hands over his ears. He knew what was coming. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR??? AND DON'T CALL ME MEATBALL HEAD!!!" Wow. Andrew had never heard her scream _that_ loud before.**

**Obviously, Darien hadn't either.**

Darien winced in pain as the loud decibels registered in his rattled mind. He shook his head, trying to shake out the loud pounding of his heart, and glued midnight blue eyes to Serena's infuriated sky blue ones.

"Well," he drawled, "one: I sensed you sneaking on me. Two: I thought it would be funny, and three: it's flipping hilarious!" He laughed, a deep ringing that made Serena's bones vibrate happily. **But she pushed her happy thoughts of Darien out of her mind; they should not be there.**

**"Well, it's not funny," she said simply. Her voice was slightly hoarse and cracked. **

**Darien gave a snort. "Well, sure it is. You should have _seen_ your face when you flipped out! Andrew, can we watch the tape?" He was referring to the surveillance cameras. Andrew said nothing, preferring not to get involved. He could see that Serena was still quite angry.**

Andrew tried to back out, but a small hand out of nowhere grabbed the loose ends of his apron.

"Don't. You. Dare," Serena growled. Andrew's green eyes widened in fear. He had never seen Serena this angry before. **Serena rounded on Darien so she was facing him again, a death glare still in her eyes. Somehow, he found this extremely amusing. **

**"Awww, is Sewena going to get angwy?" asked Darien in a babyish voice. **

**She didn't even think; she just acted. She pulled her arm back as far as it would go while balling her fist, then threw it in his direction. It connected. Hard. But to Darien, it didn't hurt all that much; it hurt his pride and feelings more than anything. He lifted his hand gingerly toward his face, and Serena was still standing opposite him, panting, looking down. He drew her gaze when he kept looking at her. Neither of them spoke.**

Serena then realized what she had done as everyone in the Arcade, Andrew included, gasped. She widened her eyes at the obviously growing purple blob on Darien's cradled chin. She ran out the doors, sobbing. **Darien thought about going after her, but didn't move. Lita, Amy and Raye took a few steps forward, then stopped. It was Mina who chased after her. **

**Serena was fast, but Mina was faster. She soon ran her down and jumped in front of her. Tears were flowing freely down her red, puffy face. Without a word, they both started walking toward the park.**

**It was only when they had reached the cool shelter of the trees did one of them finally speak.**

**"What have I done?" Serena gasped between sobs. She then put her face in her hands and began to bawl again. Mina gently pushed her toward the ground to sit, patting her back softly. **

**"It's okay," she whispered. Serena's sobs ceased slightly. **

**"I—I punched him," she whimpered. "I can't believe it. He hates me now!" She wasn't sure why she was saying this; Darien always hated her, right? And she always hated him! But something didn't seem quite right in saying that. Was that really the truth?**

"He deserved it, Sere," Mina said soothingly, rubbing her best friend's back. "He had it coming."

"But still!" Serena protested, all tears gone. "I've never done something that violent in my entire life!"

"If you exclude being Sailor Moon," Mina said.

**Serena gave her a glare. **

**"Well, it's true," Mina said quietly. Serena remained silent. "Serena, don't feel bad. People hit other people all the time! He'll get over it. I'm sure it's not the first time he's been socked by a girl." Serena couldn't help but smile. Mina just had that charm of making people feel better.**

"Mina. If I told you something," Serena started, nervous, "would you promise never to tell another soul?"

Mina nodded, sensing something serious about her friend and leader.

"I think," Serena said, "I think I'm in love with Darien."

"Ha!" Mina exploded, sending Serena into shock. "I knew it! Raye, you owe me ten dollars!"

Raye, Lita, and Amy appeared from behind the sakura tree with downcast faces.

**"WHAT?!?!?," said Serena. "How'd you get here?" She was gawking at the girls in front of her. It was just supposed to be her and Mina talking! Where'd they come from?**

**"It's okay," said Amy, smiling. "We won't tell your secret." Somehow, Serena wasn't convinced. But then Mina cleared her throat, and the smile was wiped quickly off her face as the three girls standing reached into their pockets to pull out their money. Amy pulled out a neatly folded ten, Lita pulled out two slightly crumpled fives, and Raye kept pulling out wrinkled one dollar bills, then a couple quarters, and a few dimes. **

"To explain in simple terms, Serena-me-love," Mina said happily as she collected her spoils, "We knew you had feelings for the jerk. Intuitive, I am. So we made a bet to see if you'd spill sooner or later."

"Guys!" Serena's tears reappeared. "I thought I trusted you!"

**"You do!" said Mina. "We won't _ever_ tell your secret. You can trust us."**

**"Right."**

**"Well," said Mina, "I s'pose we'd better head back to the Arcade. Poor Darien is probably wallowing in his own guilt." They all started to walk away, but Serena stopped, suddenly hesitant. She didn't think she could face Darien again.**

"I'll catch up with you guys later!" Serena called, feigning happiness as she waved to her smiling friends. When they were out of sight, Serena sat on the bench, head in hands.

_What am I going to do? _she thought miserably, closing her eyes. An image of the silhouette of Darien flashed on her closed eyelids, and she shot them open, breathing heavily. **She was still flabbergasted at the thought of actually _liking_ the creep. This couldn't be! She couldn't like Baka!! That would be insane. And yet. . .**

**There was something in him that seemed to attract her. Some calling, deep within her, that made her want to be with him. Did this have to do with the dream? No, it couldn't. That man's name was Endymion. And something about that name still seemed vaguely familiar. But she couldn't quite put her finger on it. _Stop thinking so much about it,_ thought Serena. She sighed, then stood up and started to walk home.**

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"Ow!" Darien complained as he put an ice pack on his throbbing jaw. It still hurt after some odd hours. Man, Meatball Head could pack a punch!

_Yeah, she can,_ he thought tenderly. _She's one of a kind._

An image of that girl from the dream blinded his sight. Her gold hair fluttered around him in two streamers, and her beautiful jewelry gleamed from the moon in the background. But he still couldn't see her face. **_Who is she? _He thought for the dozenth time. There was something about her that felt oddly familiar. . .but what? **

**He sighed and shifted the ice pack. He pushed the thoughts from his mind as he tried to concentrate on what he would say to Serena when he saw her. What would he say? Would she even speak to him? **

"Probably not," he said aloud as he turned on the TV. The news flashed with images of another Youma attack, this time in a warehouse near the docks.

"Damn!" he exclaimed as he conjured a rose, ran out the room, and flew from his balcony as Tuxedo Mask. His ice pack lay forgotten on the bed.

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**It wasn't the daisies, or even the unicorns. In fact, it was. . .**

**"Oh, come on. When will this let up?"**

**"Is Beryl just joking with us?"**

**"Or is she just plain retarded?" The girls thought for a second, then they all nodded their heads. They continued to dodge and attack the giant pillow Youma's 'Feathers of Destruction'. But these feathers weren't _normal_ feathers. They were, in fact, razor sharp. And they hurt, noted Serena.**

And while she was thinking, she didn't realize that Sailor Mercury was hit until the girl fell with a cry.

"Mercury!" Jupiter called. She then faced the Youma with green fury.

"Supreme Thunder Clash!"

The Youma cried out as it was being electrocuted. **Mercury pulled herself up off the ground, then stood on wobbly legs and gave Jupiter a thumbs-up. They then turned around to see that the Youma was now a pile of ashes. They each had cuts on their arms and legs from the razor-feathers, but that was all.**

**"Goodness, these things are just getting easier!" said Lita. "They're more annoying than dangerous."**

**"I know," said Serena. "Maybe Beryl's up to something."**

**"She's always up to something," pointed out Amy, "and that something usually has to do either with killing us or taking over the universe."**

**At her words, Serena remembered that book from the library. ". . ._so evil would be scoured from the universe once again and the Crystal be reborn more powerful than before."_**

**Evil scoured from the universe. She was sure this meant Beryl. But why did this dream and this book keep coming back to her? It was like they were trying to tell her something.**

"Guys," she said, earning the looks of her friends. "What if," she paused, hesitant, then continued, "what if we're supposed to scour the universe of evil? Like it says in the book?"

"We couldn't," Amy explained. "According to that book, if we're the ones, we're supposed to find the Moon Princess and the Crystal Luna keeps urging us to find. We can't afford that right now."

"She's right, Serena," Raye said, hand on hip. "We don't have time. Right now, we need to find that princess and crystal. Then we can work on scouring the universe of evil." Serena sighed.

"Right."

Unawares to them, Tuxedo Mask hovered hidden by some nearby crates, catching snippets of their conversation. He had heard clearly of their mission for the Silver Crystal and the Moon Princess. **So they had finally figured it out. Or at least part of it. But it still didn't explain the dream. . .**

He watched as his object of affection and her friends bounded off into the night. That was when his jaw throbbed again.

"Ow," he moaned as he headed home.

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The next morning, Darien came to the Arcade to find a steaming mug of black coffee already waiting for him with a note attached. He raised an eyebrow at Andrew, who shrugged, and read the note.

_Dear Darien,_

_I'm so sorry for what happened the day before. I hope this, and a surprise in the park at noon, will make up for my unchivalrous behavior._

_Sincerely yours,_

_Serena Tsukino_

**Darien smiled as he placed the note back on the counter. It had a pleasant smell to it, and it wasn't from his coffee. He took a sip of it and sighed. What kind of surprise did Meatball Head. . ._excuse me, Serena,_ have in mind? Whatever it was, he was going to try to be nicer to Meatball—oops, Serena. Oh, boy, this was going to take some getting used to.**

"So," he drawled as he sipped his delicious coffee, "do you have anything to do with this, Drew?"

Andrew shook his head. "No," he said as he cleaned glasses. "Serena came in, all nice and dressed up, paid for your drink and dropped off the note, and left."

**For once, Darien believed him. How very Serena-like. "Well, I guess I'd better go to the park and see what this whole surprise thing is," he said. Then he stood up, waved goodbye to Andrew, and walked out the door.**

**It didn't take very long to get from the Arcade to the park. Darien was anxious to see what Serena was up to, so he was walking rather quickly. **

Once he got there, he stopped, awestruck.

Serena, dressed in a white off-the-shoulder sundress, was sitting on a red-and-white checkered blanket under the sakura tree. A wicker picnic basket was by her side, open and full of delicious food. But what most surprised him was her hair.

It. Was. Down.

**It splayed out across her back and made an arc on the ground beneath her. It was as smooth as silk, and gleamed in the morning light in such a way that it made a golden crown around her head. _A crown,_ thought Darien. _It seems to look perfect on her. . .like it was meant to be there._ Serena gave him a wide smile when she saw him.**

**"Darien! Come sit down with me," she said in a cool, seductive tone. But Darien continued to stand there, gawking, until Serena said, "Darien? Are you okay?"**

**He snapped back to his senses, then sat down, unable to take his eyes off her. Her eyes locked onto his. "Want a sandwich?"**

"S-sure!" he exclaimed nervously. She reached in the basket, a gold bracelet on her wrist jangling softly. Unable to contain himself, he caught her wrist. Upon seeing her frightened expression, he gently changed his grip and kissed the back of her hand, smiling. "Might I daresay, you look exquisitely beautiful today, Serena," he said in a British accent, mentally jumping up and down in joy as she blushed a becoming shade of pink.

**"Why, thank you," she said very quietly. She blushed even harder as she handed him a sandwich.**

**It was his favorite. Ham and cheese. He eagerly began to munch on it while Serena took out hers. Without thinking, he scooted a little closer. She scooted a little closer to him. This kept happening until they were almost touching. **

"Mmm," he praised as he munched on his sandwich. _"_This is so good, Serena!" He turned to find their faces were just inches apart. Her warm breath stirred across his cheek, and her eyes. . .**oh, they were so beautiful. Like deep pools of the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean coast. He would love to go there with her. A voice deep in his mind kept saying, _Why are you in love with Meatball Head? _But he did his best to squish the noise against the edge of his mind until it went away completely. He wasn't going to fight his love for Serena anymore.**

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"Spill!" Mina squealed as Serena stepped through the door that evening. Lita, Amy, and Raye were scattered across the living room, all eager to hear her day.

"Well, we had lunch in the park," Serena started out. "Then Darien took me to these rose gardens I had never known existed! They were so beautiful, all the different colors and scents. We talked about the strange dreams we were having, and by that time it was almost sunset, so he treated me to dinner at this fancy restaurant downtown." Serena sighed. "It was so romantic!"

**All of the girls sighed in unison, lost hopelessly in their own fantasies. Then Mina woke up and said, "I'm so glad you two made up. The fighting was actually starting to get tiring!"**

"Ya know, it actually was," Amy mused as she stood up and picked a book from the bookstand.

"Well said, Amy," Lita remarked, going back to her cookbook for a particular recipe. **Serena still had a dreamy look in her eyes, reliving the moment in her mind's eye. **

"Yeah," Serena said sleepily, eyes fluttering shut with the perfect day on her eyelids. "I was getting tired of it myself." All the girls smiled as Serena floated to LaLaLand, smiling in her dream.


	5. Chapter 5

Here it is, at last! I know it hasn't been that long, but i'm sure you've all been anxiously awaiting. And don't forget, I am not the sole author of this story. It's by both me and my friend, dragonseeker55. I have made all of my parts in bold, so that you know who wrote all the good parts (just kiding, Ayakiya) but I'm not sure if I will. (by the way, Ayakiya isn't her real name either). Enjoy Chapter 5! Chapter 6 is on the way!

Oh wow! I just realized that I think this is the first time I've started the chapter! That's amazing!

Chapter 5

**A few days later, Serena was walking down the street, humming a tune in a major key. (For you non-music people, that means it sounded happy). She then turned into the Crown Arcade, a smile on her face. Andrew started to sweat under his stained apron. _Has Darien been abducted by aliens? He actually made Serena happy? It's a sign of the apocalypse! _**

"Uh, hi Serena," Andrew began nervously, hands wringing anxiously. "How was your date with Darien yesterday?"

Serena opened her mouth to speak, but a familiar suave, deep voice calmly interrupted her.

"It was wonderful, Andrew."

**Serena whirled around to face the ebony-haired blue-eyed wonder ****who**** she'd suddenly fallen in love with. Or had it been suddenly? Had it been over time? She thought back to all the thoughts she'd ever had of him during their arguments. Maybe he had been in love with her all along too.**

"Good morning, Meatball Head," Darien smirked as Serena's face grew red.

"My name is not Meatball Head! It's SERENA!" she screamed, panting slightly. "Or have you already forgotten?"

Darien chuckled that sexy chuckle of his and produced a thornless rose for her. "I would never forget," he whispered in her ear as he sat beside her. An audible thud resounded through the Arcade, followed by Serena's concerned voice.

"Andrew? Andy, wake up! Darien! Andrew fainted!"

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**About five minutes later, Andrew awoke on one of the booth seats, with several people waving napkins and clipboards at him. He didn't recognize the people at first, but then their faces swam into focus: Serena, Darien, Mina, Amy, Raye, and Lita were all there. They all had concerned looks on their faces. **

**Andrew sat up, shaking his head to clear his mind.**

**"Andy—what happened?" asked Amy's concerned voice.**

**"I was shocked by Darien's chivalrous behavior, and the fact that he gave you a rose! I think my body went into shock! But I'm OK now. Are you sure I wasn't dreaming?" Serena held up the rose as proof. "I guess not." He paused for a moment. "Man, things are going to be a little different around here now."**

**"Did you just say I was 'chivalrous?'" asked the taunting voice of Darien.** Serena playfully whacked him in the head. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"Being rude to your best friend," Serena stated bluntly. **Darien rubbed the back of his head. "Geesh. Can't a guy have little fun around here?" He reached over and tickled Serena in the stomach. She laughed and tried to push herself away from him. _What a flirt,_ thought Mina.**

"Oh quit being lovey-dovey, you two!" Raye scolded, mirth hidden in her amethyst eyes. Serena's eyes widened.

"Me? Being lovey-dovey around THE Jerk? How dare you speak such an accusation!" Serena taunted, hands on hips. Darien chuckled.

**"But of course!" said Mina. "That's what you've been doing for the past few days, isn't it? And that picnic?"**

**Serena glared at her.**

**"Okay, I think it's time for some milkshakes," said Andrew loudly as he stood up off of the booth seat. "What'll be your orders?"**

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"Take that!" Lita yelled at the...Unicorn of Doom.

"Supreme Thunder Clash!"

The demon unicorn screamed in pain as the lightning encountered its haunches. It whirled and focused blood red eyes on the Scout of thunder.

"Mars Fireball Surround!"

It screamed again as fire singed its lilac mane and white neck. It charged, enraged, directly at Sailor Mercury, who was preoccupied with her computer.

"Mercury, look out!" Three Sailor Scouts yelled in unison.

Amy looked up to see the bloodthirsty unicorn running at her. Before she could even begin to formulate an attack, someone pushed her aside and took the blow.

Serena's scream filled the night air.

"Sailor Moon!" All the Sailor Scouts shouted.

**She was on the ground, breathing heavy. She didn't appear to be hurt too badly; just the wind knocked out of her. She pulled herself up off the ground with a helping hand from Amy. "I'm so sorry," said Amy. **

**"Don't worry about it," gasped Serena. She stood on wobbly legs and began to form her next attack.**

**But before she could open her mouth, the unicorn charged again, shining white horn bent low. Serena couldn't move. Her legs were frozen in place, her eyes wide with fear. She closed them at the last second to prepare for impact, but it never came. She heard a swish of cloak that was all too familiar, and she opened her eyes. **

**Tuxedo Mask.**

**She barely had a second to recognize him before he was thrown to the ground. She had stepped out of the way just in time. She stared down at his chest; there was blood pouring from it. The unicorn had struck him. Then she moved her eyes up to his face.**

**His mask was gone.**

**She stared at him with wonder and complete astonishment. She knew this man!**

**It was Darien.**

**She bent down and kneeled over him. She couldn't hear anything except the ferocious beating of her own heart. Blood pooled on his chest, staining his black tuxedo. His ebony hair was tousled, and his white mask lay a few feet away. Tears formed on her eyes, then dropped onto him. One of the tears fell onto his wound. As soon as it touched his flesh, the unicorn screamed and vanished into thin air. It was gone.**

**And so was Darien.**

**Serena knew he was dead. She began to weep intensely; tears just came and came. Her four friends tried to pull her off of him, but to no avail. She clung tight. **

**They didn't know what do think. They were all numb. What would happen now?**

"I never got the chance," Serena murmured brokenly, crystalline tears beading on Darien's serene face.

"The chance for what, Sere?" Mina asked, unshed tears in her eyes. Serena detransformed, clothed in her PJ's.

"To tell him I loved him," she answered, her voice devoid of any emotion.

Suddenly silver light surrounded the Scouts and their dejected leader.

**The other Sailor Scouts began to cry along with Serena. But only one tear fell from each. It landed in their hands, and began to grow to the size of an apple and glow in each respective color. They all stared in wonder at their hands. Serena looked up from Tuxedo Mask, her eyes still glistening with tears. The four crystals began to move toward each other; balls of light in red, orange, green, and blue. When they connected at the center, which was right in front of Serena, a bright white flash suddenly ripped through the air. It quickly faded, and in Serena's cupped hands lay an amethyst rose made of crystal. It had no stem; it was just the flower itself. No sooner had they seen it when another bright flash of light came and lifted Serena several feet into the air. Her face was totally calm, which unnerved the Scouts. The light began to swirl around her, changing her Sailor Scout uniform into a long white dress. It flowed around her like water, and her long hair blew in some unknown breeze. She landed softly on the ground, and they could see the details of her dress. The top had golden circles, and there was a bow on the back with long ribbons trailing behind her. The sleeves sat on her shoulders and looked like satin seashells. They knew as soon as they saw her who she was: Princess Serenity. The word reverberated around their minds, and suddenly a flood of memories overtook them. They fell to the ground, light-headed, then sat back up, and stared at the world with new eyes. They remembered everything now. **

**Before they had much time to contemplate anything, Darien now rose up off the ground and was floating in an upright position. The same white beam of light that had just transformed Serena was now swirling around him. Gone was his tuxedo and hat; it was now replaced with jet black armor that covered all of his body. A new, longer black cape with red on the inside swirled behind him before he landed back on the ground. He was lying there, just looking like he was sleeping innocently, as if he had never been hurt. All of the blood and wounds were now gone. They all also knew who he was at first sight: Prince Endymion.**

Serena gasped as a gold crescent moon appeared on her forehead, shining brightly among the silver light emanating from the Silver Imperium Crystal. Memories and images flashed through her mind, making more tears fall as her heart broke even more as the learned the history of the Silver Millennium.

**Suddenly, a thought occurred to her; a memory. She remembered a power that the crystal had. A power that would put her life back together.**

**The power to resurrect.**

**Silently, she lifted the crystal up into the air. **

**"Serena. . .what are you doing?" asked Mina in a shaky voice. Serena didn't answer. This concerned her.**

**Serena closed her eyes. She let power and energy flow through her body to the crystal in her hands. As she let the energy flow, she began to feel more at peace. It was as if all of her problems were melting away. **

**After a few more moments, she lay the crystal, now glowing brighter than ever, on Endymion's chest. And Tuxedo Mask's. And Darien's.**

**As soon as it touched him, the light began to intensify even more, if that were possible. Tiny streams of light short out from it, going in all directions, touching each part of him until he was under a dome of shining purple light. Then, it slowly faded away, leaving Endymion looking much the same as he had before. Serena had a fleeting worry. _What if it didn't work?_**

**Her question was soon answered.**

**He opened his eyes.**

**Endymion took a deep, gasping breath, as if he had been holding it for a long time. He still lay on his back, contemplating the scene before him. _I died!_ he thought. _How can this be?_ But as soon as he saw the Silver Imperium Crystal, it all became clear. And Serena's smiling face. Or, actually, Princess Serenity's. (A/N: All of their identities are very confusing!!) She was just sitting there, blinking. Then, he suddenly sat up straight, and pulled her close. **

**They just sat there for a moment, caressing each other. Embracing each other. His death hadn't been long, but to both of them it felt like an eternity. **

**Endymion pulled Serenity closer, then kissed her.**

**Warmth flooded through every limb of Serenity's body, expunging all cold that had been there before. There was only one thought on her mind; to stay in his arms forever.**

"Serena," Darien murmured in her ear. She nestled her face against the warmth of his neck. Feeling the pulse race there, she smiled.

"I thought I lost you," she said, feeling lightheaded and dizzy. Her and Darien's transformations died away, and there sat Serena in her PJ's and Darien in his...well...black silk boxers.

"Darien!" Lita exclaimed, eyes wide. Mina giggled as Amy hid her red face and Raye started laughing. Serena hung her head as Darien blushed a tomato red.

**"Oops," she said, filled with embarrassment.**

**"Actually, I think it's kind of sexy. . ."**

**"Not here, Darien, for goodness sake!" said Amy through stifled giggles.**

**"I guess we'd better get home," said Lita.**

"Right," everyone said in unison. The girls started their own ways, leaving Serena and Darien alone.

"Well," she started nervously, "I'd better get going." Before she could, his hand caught her wrist, and she looked into dark blue eyes.

"Will I see you tomorrow, sweet angel?" he asked huskily, his deep voice sending delicious chills down her spine. She gently kissed him on his forehead and bounded away. He sat there, stunned.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," he murmured to himself, standing.

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**Serena sat at the dining room table in her apartment, poring over that translation as if she had new eyes. With all of the knowledge of her past back, it made much more sense. She knew now that she was the Moon Princess that the book spoke of, and that Darien was Prince Endymion. She also knew what the Silver Imperium Crystal was, obviously. That part of it had been accomplished. And she was beginning to understand what had happened yesterday; the whole different colored beams of light thing, and the creation of the Crystal. It had said that inside of the Crystal was sealed the children of the Moon, which obviously meant the Sailor Scouts. Somehow, they had been reborn, and each part of the Crystal they had taken with them had been brought forth at that moment to recreate the crystal. And now there was only one thing left to do.**

**Find and destroy Beryl.**

**Somehow, these thoughts brought her back to the dreams as well. She hadn't thought about them in a while. **

**She knew that the name that the man had been calling out—Serenity—was her name. And she knew that the name from the second dream who the man was: Endymion. Which meant Darien. So the dream was about her and Darien. But she still couldn't remember what he had done to her. **

**Unfortunately, she still remembered how that blasted phone call had interrupted what she was sure was going to be the perfect kiss—even if it was only a dream.**

**"You feeling alright, Serena?"**

**A swish of blonde hair told her right away who the voice belonged to.**

**"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking, that's all."**

"Are you thinking about the book?" Mina asked, sitting at the table with her. Serena nodded.

"The book pertains to us, Mina," she stated. "Mine and Darien's dreams are connected to it somehow."

"But how?" her fellow blonde asked. Serena shook her head and stared at the full moon outside.

"I don't know."

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That night Serena had a different dream.

_She walked down a black hallway, stumbling ever so often on rocks or other. Feeling the Silver Crystal in her hand, Serena closed her eyes. And opened them again to scream._

_Dead bodies littered the bloodstained carpet. She recognized her family, Luna, Artemis, the girls._

_A low deadly chuckle ahead made her look up._

_Darien, as Endymion, stood there, blood spattered on his face and armor, a bloody sword in his hand. Black holes were in place of eyes._

_"You're next, Serenity," he said evilly, raising his sword._

Serena sat up, gasping as her sweat-soaked body shivered from the cold air.

**"What the hell?" she whispered to the darkness. Words echoed around in her mind. _You're next, Serenity. . ."_**

**What did this mean? How could Darien—no way. Yes? No. Impossible. Just dreaming. Bad nightmare. I'll talk to the girls and Darien tomorrow.**

**Now wide awake, she decided to get a cup of water and wipe the sweat off her face. She slowly trudged to the bathroom.**

**As she turned into the bathroom, she saw a dark shadow move across the room. _I'm just imagining things,_ she thought. _It's late._**

**She reached over and turned on the light.**

**There, in the corner of the room, was Endymion, just as he had appeared in her dream.**

**Serena screamed. Or at least, she thought she screamed. Her mouth was open, but she couldn't hear any sound, as if something had muffled it. She tried to move, but was frozen to the spot. Endymion gave a cackling laugh, which slowly changed to a higher pitch. His hair, face, and armor faded away.**

**Standing before her was Queen Beryl.**

**"Had you scared for a moment there, didn't I?" she asked. Her voice sent violent tremors through Serena's body. "Well, in not much longer, this is how it will be. All of your friends and family will be turned against you. The world will be hunting you. The Moon Kingdom will crumble, and the Universe as you know it will shatter. My world, the Negaverse, will be the only world that exists. Evil will replace all else. And this will all happen under my influence. You will die. Think about this as you sleep." Beryl vanished into the night.**

**Stunned, Serena collapsed onto the floor.**

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"Serena...Serena..." a deep voice floated in her hearing. Serena cracked open red-rimmed blue eyes to see ebony hair and worried midnight blue eyes.

A vision of bloody Endymion filled her sight, and Serena pushed Darien away. The girls' voices chattered anxiously as Darien tried to console his thrashing love.

"Serena, what's wrong?" he demanded gently.

"Leave me alone." the voice was low and dangerous, the tone speaking of warning.

"What?" Darien asked, incredulous. The girls watched as Serena stood, her eyes darkening slightly.

"I said leave me alone," Serena repeated. Brushing off Mina's worried hand, she walked up the stairs to her bedroom and locked the door. Once inside, she dressed and slipped out her window, walking toward the Arcade.

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**The moment she sat down, she collapsed on one of the barstools in a fit of tears. Hearing the strange noise, Andrew poked his head out from the back room. "Serena?" He walked over to the counter. "Are you okay?"**

**"No! I'm not okay!" she screamed. Thank goodness the place is empty, thought Andrew. He didn't want to make a scene. "Everything's gone wrong. Darien. . ."**

**Uh-oh. "But you two were doing so well. . ."**

**"It's not anything he did. It's what he will do!"**

**Andrew was perplexed.**

**"I had this dream—I shouldn't be telling you this—"**

**"Of course you should. Tell me everything."**

**Serena chose her next words carefully. She had to remember that he didn't know their secret. "Darien was—murdering people—covered in blood—said I'd be next—"**

**"Serena! It's just a bad dream. You need to chill. Maybe take a few days off from school or something, say you have a cold."**

**"I don't understand!" She began to cry even harder. **

**"It's just a dream. You'll go home to Darien and see that he's perfectly fine. Here's a milkshake to calm your nerves."**

**Her first sip made her feel a little better. Andrew could always cheer someone up with one of his milkshakes. It was just in him. **

**After several minutes of silence, Serena whispered, "Thank you so much, Andrew," and she slipped out the door.**

She walked around the park, dark thoughts in her mind. Why now, after she had learned who she was and what she and Darien were to each other? Why?

"Serena?"

She whirled to see Darien standing there, looking incredibly drop-dead sexy in his sleek black leather jacket and dark blue jeans. In his hand was her pink fluffy jacket.

He walked toward her, seeing the fear in her eyes. "You left without this," he said gently, not wanting to startle her. "It's kinda cold."

**Serena hadn't realized she was shivering. She accepted the jacket gratefully. She had been half-expecting to see him as she had seen him in the dream, but he just looked like the regular old wonderful Darien as always. Maybe she should stop freaking out. **

**"Darien. . .I'm really, really sorry for what happened this morning." She sighed. "I was just so scared."**

**Darien pulled her in close. "There's no need to be. I'll always be there for you, Serena. Like right now." They embraced each other for a very long time. Serena shed a single tear that rolled down her cheek and landed on Darien's shoulder. **

**"I know."**

Darien desperately wanted to ask her what in the hell happened this morning, but brushed the thought away as the angel in his arms snuggled closer to him. He smiled gratefully.

A speck of white floated in his vision. He looked at it and saw others. Serena looked up, and a white speck landed on her nose.

"It's snowing!" she squealed happily. **It was the first snow of the year. She was so excited at the thought. Also, snow left a soft, cool blanket over everything, and it was as if the world began anew. She really needed that right now.**

"YAY!" Serena detached herself away from Darien and spun, her twin streamers flowing around her. Darien's heart melted at what a pretty picture she made.

And then he threw a perfectly formed snowball and pegged her in the face.

**"OW!!" she shouted. "Actually, that felt kind of good." She pretended to straighten her coat and tie her shoes. But she was actually making the perfect snowball.**

**"Need any help, Serena midear?"**

**"Er—nope!" and she threw the snowball as hard as she could toward him.**

**Perfect aim.**

**It hit him square in the face. He was now covered in snow, and his face was really red as he was wiping it off. "It's war," he said.**

**They both ran off in different directions to start making their snowballs. Once they had a sizable stack, the 'war' began.**

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Serena laughed as Darien finished telling her a joke. They were comfortably seated on his leather couch at his apartment, their clothes hanging to dry in front of the fireplace. They were drinking steaming mugs of hot chocolate. **(A/N: Yes, they were dressed. I swear!!)**

**"So, if you don't mind me asking—what was that about this morning?" asked Darien in a casual tone.**

**"Well—" Serena wasn't sure where to start. Things were so much different now that she knew who her protector was, and how he had saved her life—and she had saved his. _I guess I can tell him everything now,_ she thought. "I had this dream—"**

**"Another dream? What is it with you and dreams?" he was smiling. Not making fun. **

**"I dunno. It's so weird, these dreams, and this one especially. See, there was Prince Endymion—I guess that's you—and he was. . .covered in blood. But not his own. And he had murdered people. . .and it was awful! And when I woke up and went into the bathroom, there he was! But it wasn't actually him. It was Queen Beryl. She told me I'd be next. . .oh, Darien!" Reliving the horror made tears come to her eyes.**

**"It's okay, Sere. It was just a dream. It's all over."**

**"But what about when I was in the bathroom? I was not dreaming then!"**

**"Are you sure?"**

**Now that she thought about it, maybe she was still dreaming. A dream within a dream. How strange. But it made some sense; why would Queen Beryl be in her _bathroom?_ It was almost funny. Yet it had seemed so real. . .**

**"Let's not talk about this anymore." Serena nodded. She snuggled closer to him. She was so glad that they weren't enemies anymore; now she had someone to share herself with, to be with always. Having him was so different then just having a best friend. It felt—so good.**

"Say," he drawled, "do you remember the Silver Millennium?" He felt her nod. "Well," his voice acquired a tone of mischief, "if I remember correctly, Endymion and Serenity loved each other very much." Serena looked up and saw Darien's eyes darken to nearly black.

"Oh no," she whispered to him. "I'm only seventeen. My father would kill you!"

"He's not here, now is he?" he murmured back, leaning closer to her. His lips were an inch away from hers when his eyes rolled and he went unconscious. Serena looked over and saw a lead-filled Sailor Venus plushie on the floor.

"MINA!!!"

**"What, what did I do?" she asked innocently. Serena glared at her.**

**"WE WERE MOMENTS AWAY FROM THE PERFECT KISS AND YOU HAD TO GO AN RUIN IT!!!!" Serena shouted at the top of her lungs. She looked at the unconscious Darien slumped over on the couch. "BUTTHEAD!!!"**

**"Well—you were right. You're father _would _kill you." She glanced over at Darien. "Looks kind of peaceful and benign, just laying there, huh?"**

**Serena raised her hand, ready to strike.**

**"Ok, ok, I'll go. . .don't hurt me!" she ran out of the room. Serena sat back down and sighed. _What am I going to do with them?_**

"Oh, and by the way, I was saving you from losing your virginity!" Mina yelled back, making Serena grab her clothes and run out the apartment.

Darien lay lost and forgotten on the floor, smiling through his dream of sleeping with Serena.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello once again! Finally, here is chapter 6! And a gentle reminder--oh yes, very gentle--EVERYTHING IN BOLD IS BY ME, AND EVERYTHING IN NOT BOLD IS DRAONSEEKER55!!!! So yeah, most of it's in bold now, seeing as I wrote most of it, and the chapters of the future will probably be just me. Enjoy reading!!!

Chapter 6

**There were only a few days left now until Christmas. Serena had quite pushed the whole dream thing out of her mind, and was trying to enjoy her 'winter break' as the schools now called it. Why not Christmas Vacation? Well, you can guess. Stupid things about minorities or whatever. Like they care all that much, I'm sure.**

**Mina, Serena, Lita, Raye, and Amy were planning a Christmas party spectacular. It wouldn't be a big party, though; just them, and a few friends, like Andrew and Darien. But Serena was sure that Luna and Artemis would show up uninvited anyways just to 'keep an eye' on things. She hoped they wouldn't get an eyeful at hers and Darien's behavior. If there was any at the party. But Darien could be hard to predict.**

**Christmas Eve Eve rolled around. For people who couldn't guess, that's December 23rd. For the rest of you, ignore that last sentence. Anyways, it was party time. **

**The house was totally decked out. They had a huge Christmas tree up (Darien had brought that in, and oh how Serena had savored ordering him around) and tons of garlands and streamers and candles and everything Christmas everywhere. It would be an understatement to say that it was their favorite time of year. **

**Most of the guests were already there (of course, they all lived there) and they were just waiting on Andrew.**

**At that exact moment, he walked in.**

**Now they were waiting on Darien. Serena had a feeling he would be late, as usual.**

**And they were still waiting.**

**And more waiting.**

**And now Serena's feet were beginning to hurt.**

**And more waiting.**

**Finally, there was a knock at the door, and Serena rushed to open it.**

**She wished she hadn't.**

**There, standing in the doorway, in the freezing cold air. Was Darien. In a man-thong and antlers. Serena screamed.**

**"Hello, darling," he drawled as he strolled in. He looked quite embarrassed.**

**"Er—Darien?"**

**Loud laughing could be heard outside as Lita closed the door behind him.**

**"Oh thank God—get me a robe, quick," he said. "This is so humiliating!"**

**"Wha—why—?"**

**"Got dared. End of story. Now where's that robe?" Serena was still staring at him, in a place she really wished she wasn't staring at right about now. Fortunately, Darien hadn't noticed.**

"Ah, much better," he sighed as Andrew helped him into a robe. "I was getting really cold--hey!"

Darien blushed red as he realized the robe was pink, and everyone laughed. A thud followed.

"Ow! What was that for?" he demanded of Serena, who stood in front of him with a clenched fist.

"You-you-idiot!" she nearly screamed. "Why did you do that?"

Darien feigned hurt. "I thought you would like it," he murmured, sneaking an arm around Serena's waist. She caught it and flipped him over her shoulder and onto the floor, making everyone gasp. Just then the communicators beeped.

"Damn it!" Serena cursed, grabbing her brooch and running out the door followed by the girls.

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**"Why is it always at the absolute _worst _time?" shouted Mina. "AAAAHHHH!!!**

**"I know! We were about to have some _fun_ for once, and Beryl has to go ruin it! I wonder what type of Youma she's sent after us now?" screeched Serena.**

**Once again, the Youma was located in the park. _Why is it always the park_? wondered Amy.**

**At first, they couldn't find the monster. Where was it?**

**But then, a man stepped out from behind a tree. A man clad in black armor, with ebony hair and midnight blue eyes.**

**Darien, as Endymion.**

**"This—this can't be!" shouted Lita. "It's Darien!"**

**Serena almost couldn't stammer out her reply. "It's not! It can't be!" Fortunately, the girls seemed to agree, and they began to attack it. **

**"Double Mercury Ice Bubbles Freeze!" shouted Mercury. As the spell hit him, he doubled over in pain. **

**"Serena. . ." he said weakly. **

**Shocked, Serena ran to his side. "Stop!" she yelled. The girls stopped moving. **

**She kneeled down next to wear he was. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly. Darien glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, then swiped her to the side. She landed hard on the ground, dumbstruck. This couldn't be her Darien! It had to be. . .**

**Before she had a chance to finish her thought, Darien stood up. Just as it had in the dream, his skin and clothes melted away to reveal Queen Beryl. Her red hair flowed in the breeze. Her reddish-yellow eyes gleamed with malice, and her thin lips were curled into a wicked smile.**

**"Ah, fancy seeing you here, Sailor Moon," she said in an ice-cold voice. "Thought I was just a dream, did you? Didn't think I could enter your house, did you?" Her stare made the moon princess freeze on the spot. **

"How dare you," Raye growled, taking a defensive stance. The others did the same.

Beryl chuckled menacingly. "It's really easy," she said. "I know all your identities, and I know Sailor Moon is Princess Serenity. My man has also been reborn as well."

"Your man?" Serena stammered, her heart racing.

"Prince Endymion, my soon-to-be husband."

**Serena gaped at her. "That can't be! Prince Endymion is Darien, which you say you know, and he is _my_ boyfriend! And he is no two-timer! And why would he want to be with _shit_ like you?" Mina was surprised at the coldness in Serena's voice. **

"She can give me power."

All the girls turned to see Darien as Endymion, his eyes blood red instead of midnight blue. Beryl smirked at their reactions.

"Why are you all so surprised? This was going to happen. Sailor Moon did foresee it," she said evilly. Serena gasped when she realized that her dream was coming to life.

**The girls stared at her. "You did?"**

**"It was that dream I had. I just thought it was a dream, but then Beryl was in the house and everything. . .I should have foreseen it!"**

**"Stupid girl, that's what I just said," said Beryl.**

Endymion took a step closer, unsheathing his sword. "But how could you get control of him?" Amy asked nervously. Beryl smiled cruelly.

"His heart was pure, brimming with the love he felt for Sailor Moon. All I had to do was alter it."

"You bitch!" Lita exclaimed angrily.

**"Ooh, naughty, naughty words you use, dear Lita!" she said. It was strange for Lita to hear her real name coming from those vile lips. "I won't do anything to you or your friends, now, so you don't have to worry. Come, now, Endymion, let's go home and plan our. . .plan." With that, they both vanished.**

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**When they returned to the apartment, they got quite a shock. **

**Darien was still sitting on the couch, dressed in a pink bathrobe.**

**"But—you were just—Queen Beryl—what the?" stammered Serena.**

**"What on earth are you talking about?" asked Darien, concerned. "I've been here the whole time, waiting for you all to get back from your trip. So, what did the Youma look like this time?"**

**Serena didn't have the courage to tell him that it was him. If it really was him. **

**"It—Queen Beryl showed up herself," said Serena.**

**"No! Are you all okay?" Was there a trace of false in his voice?**

**"Yeah, we're fine—she just babbled on, as usual," said Amy. "What's new?"**

**They all just stood in silence, no one really knowing what to say. Their night of fun had been ruined. Serena wasn't sure who she could trust anymore. Was the Endymion that was with Beryl Darien? Was she just trying to psych them out? Somehow, Serena didn't think so. But Darien would never turn his back on her! No matter how much they hated each other in the past, he still always seemed to watch out for her. He would never abandon her. Would he?**

**"Well, should we continue on with the party?" asked Lita reticently. The other girls nodded, and Amy went to the stereo to turn on some Christmas music.**

**After a while, the tension seemed to go away, but the mood just wasn't quite the same.**

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Serena was tossing and turning all night. She was asleep, but it certainly didn't feel like it. She was dreaming.**

**_She was back in the forest of her dreams, the silvery light of the moon illuminating the scene. She and Endymion were lying on the grass in the same clearing as before, but there was much tension in the air._**

_**"You found me, Serenity," he whispered. Serenity stared at him.**_

_**"I—I guess I did," she said, now remembering her first dream. 'Find me' he had said. 'Forgive me for what I have done to you. . .'**_

_**"Endy?"**_

_**"Yes, Sere?"**_

_**"Before…what did you do? Why do I need to forgive you?"**_

_**Endymion faltered, as if trying to recall a distant memory. "When I was with Beryl. . .back so long ago. . .what I did to you girls. . .I didn't know what I was doing!" A tear flowed down his face.**_

_**"No, you didn't," said Serenity. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "You are forgiven." The image became cloudy, as if a fog was obscuring it, and Serena began to leave the scene.**_

**She woke with a start, despite the slowness of leaving the dream. She had a sudden insight. _Is this dream happening in the _future? Was it really Darien—Endymion who was with Beryl? She didn't know. What was he going to do to her and her friends that she would forgive him for in the future? There were so many questions! She sighed, falling back onto the pillow. She hadn't realized she was sitting up. She looked out the window. The bright light of the full moon was spilling in, covering her bed in a sheet of silvery substance. She stared at it, trying to understand its secrets. And her own questions. When she saw no answers, she gave up, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.**

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**"Hey, sleepyhead, get up," said an annoying voice that could only belong to Raye. She kept shaking her. "Come on, Sere, you can't sleep in _this_ long, even on Christmas break."**

**It was after Christmas, and the excitement of the season was wearing off. There were thoughts floating around about starting their homework, but no action on this yet. It was, in fact, 1:00 PM when Raye was attempting to wake Serena. What was wrong with her?**

**"Come on, Serena, get your fat ass out of bed for once," said Raye impatiently. "I was eating lunch when they made me come in here."**

**Serena groaned, but made no attempt to move. Finally, Raye got a good idea.**

**"Hey, Amy. . .would you come in here for a sec?"**

**She heard Amy's light footfalls down the hallway, and the bluenette entered the dim room.**

**The Sailor of fire whispered in the other girl's ear. Amy nodded, smiling wickedly. She walked over to Serena, touched Serena's face, and whispered a few words. Instantly, Serena's face was turned to ice.**

**She sat up, screaming her head off. Amy melted the ice, and Serena stared at them, red-faced and furious.**

**"What the hell was that for?" she screamed. The other girls down the hall were starting to get worried.**

**"You wouldn't wake up, you fat pig!" exclaimed Raye. "I had to call in backup."**

**"Do you know what time it is?" shouted Amy. "It's freaking one in the afternoon!"**

**Serena didn't look the least surprised.**

**"So?" she asked innocently.**

**Raye and Amy simultaneously rolled their eyes. "You're hopeless," said the priestess. **

**Together, they stalked out of the room, leaving Serena to her own befuddled mind.**


	7. Chapter 7

Well, after taking so long with Chapter 6, I decided to go ahead and write Chapter 7, to make up for it. I pretty much wrote the whole chapter in about an hour and a half, but I'm very pleased with it. But it's so sad; I have an announcement to make. This is the second-to-the-last chapter. The penultimate chapter. In Chapter 8, the last chapter, is the climax, and most likely the ending. Unless I have some stroke of brilliance and decide to expand it more, but usually after the climax, the story gets pretty boring. So maybe I'll just do a sequel! By the way, with the completion of Chapter 7, this is officially the longest story I've ever written. Of course, I didn't write the whole thing, but I think I've written more than dragonseeker55 anyways. 

Oh yeah, one more note: dragonseeker55 has officially not helped me anymore, so I wrote this entire chapter by myself! I'm so proud.

Chapter 7

All too soon, Christmas break ended. And all too soon, they had to go back to school. Amy, of course, was excited. "I don't even see a point in Christmas break," she said. "It just interrupts our studies, and you forget everything you already did! It's almost as bad as summer! We should get rid of Christmas break. In fact, we should get rid of all breaks, and just have school all year! Imagine how much you could le—" but the rest of her sentence was cut off as Serena wrestled her to the ground, hand over mouth. "Don't even think about it!" she shouted playfully. "You'd be murdered by every teenager on the planet Earth!"

"Serena—_mph_—I think you're—_ermph_—murdering me—_thmph!_" and she pushed Serena off of her with one final grunt. Dusting herself off, she looked at Serena in the eye, and said, "I was just kidding."

"No you weren't."

"Yes I was!!"

"Was not!"

"You just need to go to a special nerd school."

"You just need to go to a special school with friendly men in white coats!" Serena paused to think up a retort.

"I could use some friendly men in my life."

"Ahhhh!" Amy wailed in defeat. Serena had gotten her that time.

Just then, the ever-motherly Lita strolled into from the kitchen, wearing a white apron, not unlike Andrew's, albeit without all the stains. "Oh, please. You had better get ready, school is starting, and there's nothing you can do to stop it even if you wanted to!" The girls groaned, then walked hunch-backed into the kitchen to see what Lita had prepared for their breakfast.

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The next few months left little time for Serena to ponder all that had transpired at Christmas. There were tests, studying, and mountains of homework to do, and that took up nearly all of her free time. Any other time was spent shopping, or hanging out with her friends at the Crown Arcade. Darien had been absent from them for a while, but then again, he was rather busy with his own school work, plus his job that he had just gotten at the grocery store. It had been rather humorous to Serena to see him helping little old ladies carry out groceries.

But also in those months, there had been not a single Youma attack. No trouble stirred in the city. All was calm. Mina mused, _like the calm before the storm._ In the back of each girl's mind, there had been that nagging worry about the confrontation with Beryl they knew was inevitable, and must happen in order to save the universe and fulfill the prophecy.

But how easily spring cherry blossoms pushed such thoughts very far away.

Walking down the street, one would see and feel many things. Rosy-white petals littered the ground and blew past the cheek with a soft sound. The air smelled sweet, and there was a calm milieu, as if the flowers could soothe the mind just by their touch. The hope of summer and its warm, hazy days sprang to mind memories of days at the beach or on the town, or maybe just sitting at the park surrounded by those you cared deeply for. There was no doubt that spring was the shared favorite season among the fivesome.

"Race ya to school!" shouted Lita. They had decided to walk this morning, since it was so warm out. She took off running, her side-backpack bouncing against her thigh.

"Wait up!" shouted Mina and Serena. They took off. Raye quickly joined in the chase, while Amy just kept walking, shaking her head. Serena quickly ran out of breath and stopped, panting.

"What's wrong, Sere, too wimpy to catch me?" Lita shouted back.

"Oh, can it," muttered Serena.

"Ha! I win!" shouted Lita triumphantly. Serena and Amy walked quickly to catch up with them. They all stopped and straightened their skirts and hair. They made a sideways glance up, and suddenly a cold apprehension gripped them. Mt. Fuji stood in the distance, still covered in snow. Some unexplained fear seemed to haunt the girls for those few moments, and they were deathly quiet. (A/N: I don't really know where Mt. Fuji is in Japan, so just ignore the fact that the probably wouldn't have been really able to see it from where they were, and keep reading).

"Why does it feel so cold, all of a sudden?" Serena asked.

"I feel like there's something haunting about Mt. Fuji, just now." Lita agreed.

"It feels like there's some sort of evil brewing up there," said Amy. Mina and Raye nodded their heads in agreement too. Suddenly, Mina's eyes rolled back, and she wavered for a moment. Lita reached out and caught her, in case she fell. But she didn't, and the moment ended, and Mina came to, gasping.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" they asked, breathless.

"An. . .an image of Beryl just came into my mind, cold and laughing," Mina said. "In some sort of cave." Mina was clearly shaken.

The girls stared at Mt. Fuji once more.

"I think I know what we have to do," Serena said.

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Everything was starting to come together now, they sensed. Lita, Mina, Raye, Amy, and Serena were sitting on the floor of the living room.

"I remember what Beryl said to me, that night when she appeared in the bathroom. This is her mistake; she revealed to me then part of her plan. She said, "The Moon Kingdom will crumble, and the Universe as you know it will shatter. My world, the Negaverse, will be the only world that exists. Evil will replace all else. And this will all happen under my influence. You will die. Think about this as you sleep."

"Well, she's not very clear, is she?" said Raye.

"Well, yeah, I guess not," admitted Serena. "But, now we at least know that she has plans to destroy us, and since her Youmas obviously aren't doing anything, I think the next step is going to be drastic."

"I think she put her next step into action that day we found her at the park, with Enymion."

"Supposedly Endymion."  
"Yeah, supposedly." That episode still rocked Serena to the core every time she thought about it. She loved Darien so much; would he really turn against her? It wasn't just her crush they'd had as normal Earth teenagers; now that was backed up with their love in the past, as Serenity and Endymion, in the Moon Kingdom, which had been powerful.

"If it really is Darien with Beryl, maybe she tricked him somehow," Lita put in.

"Maybe."

They sat in silence for a bit. Suddenly, Serena slammed her fist on the table.

"I can't take it anymore! All of this not-knowing, all of this evil, I can't take it! I want to go right now and find Beryl, wherever the hell she is, and kill her. No, not kill her. Crush her into a zillion tiny pieces, and then set her on fire, and destroy the ashes with a nuclear bomb! I can't stand it anymore!" She took a deep breath. The girls stared at Serena in surprise. This wasn't just her petty teenaged anger; this was true, real loathing. True anger. And they all knew that Serena would seek vengeance, some way, some how.

"I'm in," said Lita. They turned to look at her.

"Me too," said Mina and Amy in unison. They stared at Raye.

"Errrr. . .is that my mom calling me?" she asked. They pounced on her.

"I was just kidding!" she shouted. "Of course I'm coming." They girls got off of her.

"Well, looks like we're all in this together," said Serena.

"Of course we are! That's what friends are for. We'd never leave you to fend for yourself, Serena. Don't forget, we hate her guts too." Serena gave them a wide smile.

"I knew I could count on you," she said.

Friendship like theirs was true, and would carry through to the bitter end.

But, Amy, with her calculating, had to break the moment. "Well, we have the drive and all, but we still don't have the plans. First off, we don't even know where in God's great Universe Beryl could be. And second, how are five awkward teenagers from Earth going to defeat the most powerful being—notice I didn't say 'person'—in the Universe?"

"No, Amy. Beryl's not the most powerful being in the Universe," Lita said.

They turned to look at her, questioning looks in their eyes.

"It's Serenity. We are of her, all of us, and we are the rulers of our own planets, for god's sake!" Lita said. "Together, we cannot be defeated. No matter what. We were granted these powers for a reason, and it's more than just keeping the citizens of Tokyo happy. We need to fulfill the prophecy. 'To find the Moon Princess and her guardians so evil would be scoured from the universe once again and the Crystal be reborn more powerful than before.' We've already got the Crystal part, as we've discovered before, and now comes the hard part."

"Scouring evil from the Universe?"

"Yup. Scouring evil from the Universe. Which we all know means Beryl."

"But what if you get hurt?" Serena replied. "I wouldn't be able to take it!"

"If we get hurt, then. . ." Mina trailed off.

Amy finished the sentence for her. "If we get hurt, then it won't be in vain. The ultimate goal is to defeat Queen Beryl. That's why the Sailor Scouts were created. To battle evil. It would be an honor to die fulfilling our purpose. Although I do hope we win," she said hopefully, "and that none of us die in the process."

Serena smiled gratefully at her friends, her family. "Thanks you, guys," she said, tears brimming. "I love you guys so much!" With that she gathered them into a group hug.

"Hello! I'm being squished!" Raye complained. Serena grinned and kissed Raye's cheek.

Mina wished they could have more moments like this. She had been thinking lately that it wouldn't be long when they were all finished with high school, and they would have to start new lives, and go to college. What would happen then? Would they have defeated Beryl by then? Then she thought about that fateful day. She knew it was coming soon. Would she live? Would Beryl be defeated?

She decided to stop thinking and hug her friends all the more tighter.

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It was another long, sleepless night for Serena. How long would these go on? _Probably until Beryl is defeated,_ she thought. _If Beryl is defeated._ The more she had thought about it, the stronger she knew that they wouldn't survive. She had been worrying and worrying about it, as if some big test were coming. But this time, it would be the test of survival. A lot more was at stake here than a bad grade. And they still had no clue where Beryl was, and where the big fight would be. _Maybe on Pluto, the Dark Planet,_ she thought. That was the common hideout for other fiends. But something inside her said she was closer.

Amidst all the thought, she must have fallen asleep, because he was dreaming.

"_Serenity. . .Princess. . .darling. . ."_

Who was calling her? The voice sounded far away. . .and it was a woman, calling her darling. . .who?

The voice began to become clearer, as if the speaker was getting closer. "_Serenity, my sweet daughter. . ."_

Daughter?

Suddenly, a woman swam into her vision. A white abyss surrounded them, and they were floating. The woman had long, lavender hair, just as long as Serena's. She wore a white dress that flowed down to her feet. A golden crescent moon was on her forehead. This woman looked familiar. . .

The memory struck Serena like a blow to the chest. Oh my God!

"_Mom. . .!"_

_"Yes, darling Serena, it's me. Oh, how I've missed you! "Queen Serenity stepped closer on some invisible floor and embraced Serena, the daughter who she hadn't seen in thousands of years. They were finally united, once more. Tears filled Serena's eyes. All despair she had about Queen Beryl was gone; she was safe and sound, once again in her mother's arms. Once more a small child, clinging to her mother during a thunderstorm, when the heavens flashed with light and the thunder shook the Moon. All would be fine now._

_"Daughter, you know that it's time. You know that it's time to defeat Queen Beryl, once and for all." Serena looked up into her mother's glassy, purple eyes. She saw herself in them. She saw Queen Serenity's sad soul, knowing the adventure her daughter was about to partake in._

_She knew Serena would die._

_"Darling, listen to me. You need to conquer Queen Beryl. You need to fulfill the Prophecy. It's you and the Sailor Scout's time to vanquish evil from the Universe. You will find Queen Beryl in a cave on top of Mt. Fuji, waiting for you. You mustn't be afraid._

_"But mother. . .I am afraid."_

_"Then be afraid no longer. Now go. Your future awaits you." Slowly, Queen Serenity began to fade into the background. Her voice echoed on the abyss. "I'll always love you. . ."_

When Serena woke up, her pillow was wet with warm tears.

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The following day was a blur. She was living in that precious moment with her mom all day, and everything anyone else said just blew over her. It was Sunday, so there was no school. She did have the mind to explain to the girls what had happened in her dream, but only so that she could re-live it once again. That night, she fell asleep right away, still blissful. The girls spoke in low whispers in the living room about her.

"What do you think of her dream?" asked Mina.

"What do you think of her _behavior?_" asked Raye.

"I think tomorrow she'll be fine," replied Lita.

"Do you think it's true? Could Beryl really be on Mt. Fuji?"

"Well, you know what's happened with Serena's dreams before. They've been true."

"And we all remember that feeling we had when we saw Mt. Fuji the other day," said Amy. The girls nodded.

"So, I guess we're going to the mountain?" said Raye.

"Yup. We are," said Amy. And thus, their plans were made.

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They all awoke the next morning, and Serena was back to normal again. They enlightened her of their plans made the previous evening.

Serena sighed. "I didn't think it would be so soon. . ."

"But you seemed so ready, when you got all angry and stuff," said Mina.

"Yeah, you're right. And I still am," Serena replied.

They spent the day preparing for the trek.

"We're obviously going to fly some of the way up, no way I'm hiking all the way there," said Raye.

"Of course not. We'd all be wiped out before the battle even began!"

Finally, they were ready. They transformed, and flew high above the buildings, taking in the day. Dark clouds were gathering behind the mountain. From their standpoint, it almost seemed as if the mountains were _creating_ the clouds. But none below knew this. No one knew what danger was hidden on that snow-capped mountain; no one even knew that the Moon Kingdom or Queen Beryl or any of that other stuff existed. It was their secret world. And it was theirs to protect.

Finally, they reached the base of Mt. Fuji. They couldn't see the top from where they were. Somewhere, up there, a woman was about to die. They set it into their hearts, and hardened themselves to it. _We _can_ do this,_ they all thought together. Then they took off up the mountain.

Higher and higher they flew. It may have been spring down below, but the farther up they went, the more it became apparent that it was still winter here, on this heartless piece of rock covered in ice. Only heartless because Beryl tainted it with darkness.

After quite a bit of flying, they at last were nearing the summit. Sailor Moon held the Crystal tight in her gloved hand. She knew she would need its powers.

Sailor Mercury touched down on the ground, and the rest of the gang followed suit. Sailor Venus walked in a circle, surveying the landscape. They didn't have to see to be able to find Beryl, though. They could feel it in their guts, the dark evil that permeated the ground. She was nearby, waiting in the shadows of her dark cave.

"This is the place," Amy said, referring back to her handheld.


	8. Chapter 8

Well, my good friends, here it is. The final chapter of my story. In here, I think I've answered most of the questions, and I hope I haven't left anything out. Thank you so much for reading all the way up to here! As I've said, this is my first fanfiction ever, and I'm very proud of it. It's probably my best writing to date. If you've read dragonseeker55's Emotions story, then you might find that the battle scene is nearly the same. This is because I wrote it for her story, and then decided I liked it so much that I used it in mine. So don't think that I've plagerised or anything! I hope you enjoy the final chapter of Dreams.

Chapter 8

The girls looked around. There were a few trees here and there, but it was mostly just barren land. Where could she be hiding?

Serena kept her eyes alert as she looked around the barren plain. The girls also watched, their cloaks wrapped tightly around them.

"There," Amy called, pointing to a tall oak tree. They walked to it and saw a hole in the hollow tree. "You're supposed to send negative energy into it in order for the door to open," Amy explained. The others sighed.

Serena backed away from the tree; a respective distance of four meters. Judging the direction of wind and the speed, she looked at her hands. Looking inside herself, Serena found all the pent-up anger, fury, malice, and disgust and _pushed._

A black ball of negative energy grew in her cupped hands. Opening red-tinted eyes, she pushed the power towards the tree. It swallowed the power and split open, revealing stone steps.

"How did you do that?" Raye asked, shocked at what she just saw. Amy quickly typed and read:

"All the negative feelings Sailor Moon felt towards Beryl were enough to take physical shape and had enough power to open the door."

They stared in awe at Serena, who looked like she hadn't just done something strange. "Let's go in," she whispered, and she led the way down the dark stone steps. There was darkness ahead. They kept walking down the steps, taking care not to trip in the semi-darkness. Suddenly, there was a loud scraping noise behind them, and the light began to fade quickly.

"The door is closing!" shouted Serena, but she could hardly be heard above the noise the tree was making. Soon there was a crack of light, then nothing at all. It was completely pitch black now. They started to panic, but then realized they must calm their nerves and continue on. Nobody said a word as they crept down the stairs.

The steps kept descending into the earth. How far under the ground were they? Three fathoms? Ten fathoms? One? Amy had no idea. She only knew that the air was getting cooler the further down they went. Then, Serena spotted a shaft of light up ahead.

"Welcome to my lovely home," Beryl's voice came from all directions.

Mina curled her lip in disgust as they dropped their cloaks. "Lovely my ass," she whispered.

Beryl's 'home' was far from lovely.

They appeared to be standing in a damp cave. The ceiling was high and in shadow. Stalagmites jutted out of the floor like sinister yellow spears. Water made murky pools of dark green all around the floor. Something yellow was slowly dripping down the walls. Lita felt something wet hit her head. When she reached up to feel what it was, it was sticky.

And then, adding to the horrible décor, was Queen Beryl herself, in all her hideous splendor.

Beryl sat on a gnarled throne made of stone and tree roots. A dark crystal floated in front of her, absorbing the darkness.

"How did you brats get in here?" she demanded, rising gracelessly from her throne. Serena stepped up.

"All my feelings towards _you_ were enough to open your door," she replied, taking her fighting stance.

"Oh, how cute. Is wittle Sewena angwy at big bad Queen Beryl?" she said the first words in a high, babyish voice, and the last few with an evil snarl. "And—oh, let me guess. You want to fight me now? You want to bring me down? You want to scour the Universe for evil and make a whole new one without evil to bring on a big, bright future of happiness of love?" She paused, looking at the faces of each Sailor Scout in turn. "Well, it doesn't work that way. There'll always be evil, and I'll almost always be behind it. Except for the evil on your miserable little planet. That stuff's homemade." Serena could feel her temperature rising. Anger was welling up inside her chest. She knew the other girls felt the same thing. There was one thing, one common goal between them: Revenge. And that is exactly what Beryl would get. The beating of a lifetime.

"NOW!" Serena roared. The girls readied their attacks.

"Double Mercury Ice Bubbles Freeze!"

"Mars Celestial Fire Surround!"

"Supreme Thunder Dragon!"

"Venus Love Chain Encircle!"

"Moon Princess Halation!"

Beryl nimbly dodged the attacks and landed some of her own. The girls flew back with enough force to break the stone. In fact, Serena was quite sure that something had broken, it hurt so much. But she struggled to stand, and succeeded, and she watched the other girls follow suit.

"We have to try something else," said Lita. They nodded their heads in unison toward her.

"Is that all you've got, girlies?" asked Beryl in her metallic voice.

"Not—yet," said Serena. She couldn't give up. They had barely gotten started! With this thought, a surge of energy filled her. The girls, watching her for the next move, suddenly felt the same surge of energy. They continued to shoot attacks at her, but to no avail. She would just swipe it out of the way, or step to the side. It didn't take long for them to start slowing down and becoming weary. How could Beryl be beaten? Could she even _be_ beaten? It wasn't looking like it.

"I see you grow weary." Beryl was smiling. If that's what you could call it. None of the Scouts said anything. "Maybe you deserve a rest."

They stopped moving. Beryl walked up to Lita, and looked her straight in the eye. It made Lita's heart freeze over. "You've been battling hard. Good job." Then, she grabbed Lita around the neck and raised her a few inches off the ground. Sailor Jupiter's face began to turn red as she gasped for air. The other four girls ran forward to her defense. Beryl held out her hand to stop them, and they stopped, as if some invisible force was holding them back. Lita struggled for breath, but none came. Her face was turning blue.

"Let her go, you devil!" cried Serena.

Beryl turned around. "Okay," she said simply, then she threw Lita hard against the wall. Her left arm grazed a razor-sharp stalagmite on her trip to the wall, and she got a deep cut that immediately began to bleed profusely. She was gasping for breath, a dazed look on her face. "Who's next?"

Pure, raw anger welled up inside Amy's chest. She couldn't contain it. Putting on her game face, she strode up to Beryl. There was only one thing she could think of doing.

She reached her hand out and smacked Beryl across the face.

Beryl stood there, stunned. Then, she conjured up a ball of black light and thrust it at her. It quickly engulfed her entire body, and Serena gave a small cry as she watched the life being drained from her frail body. The black light disappeared, and Amy's body fell limply to the floor. Beryl let out a shrill laugh.

Tears streaming down her face, Raye stammered, "You can't—do this."

"Watch me." She then lifted Raye high up into the air, without touching her. Raye screamed at the top of her lungs as she was thrust down onto the floor. Serena heard bones crack. She knew without even looking that Raye was dead. Serena didn't try to contain her sobs. She couldn't stand to lose her friends. Mina walked up beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. Lita seemed to wake up a bit, and she stared in their direction, even though she couldn't move. Her body felt leaden and heavy. It was all she could do to stay conscious.

Then, another form walked out of the shadows.

It was Tuxedo Mask.

"Well, look who showed up," Beryl said in a high voice quickly to Serena. Edymion's eyes were blazing red, contrasting to his black armor.

"Hello, Serena."

Serena stared in horror. Darien! How could he? It must be true, then. There he was, standing there, in the flesh. Her protector and lifetime love had betrayed her. And now, he was going to watch her die.

"Darien, how could you. . ."

Beryl laughed a high, cold, piercing laugh. "See what love does? It only ever causes grief. You fall in love with him, and he betrays you. What do you have to say to that?"

"I hate you."

Queen Beryl smiled. Then her eyes turned down toward Serena's neck.

"That Crystal is mine."

Now, at last, it had come to the moon crystal. Serena's thoughts flashed back to the park, when she saved Darien's life. She clutched it.

"You can't have it," she said simply. Mina stood still beside her, bracing for an attack.

It came. An invisible force knocked her against the wall. The bone-jarring impact almost knocked her out. She kept her eyes on Serena. Serena's face was contorted with a mixture of rage and grief. Tuxedo Mask laughed along with Beryl, and the sound made her blood run cold. Beryl blasted Serena with another beam of light, and it lifted her into the air a few inches. She then walked forward, and reached out to Serena's chest. Her white fingers tore Serena's off the crystal, and she grabbed hold, and pulled it toward her. But it didn't move.

The pain it was causing Serena was immense. Lita couldn't stand to watch. "Don't!" she cried.

With her other hand, Beryl threw another jet of light at her, and Lita's head hung limply on to the side. Beryl pulled harder at the crystal. Serena screamed a high, terrifying scream, and the crystal was lodged free of her body. The light faded and she fell to the floor. Mina feared she was dead. She was right.

Beryl gave a scream of delight. "Yes! The crystal is now MINE!!!!" A wind was swirling around the cave. It became more intense with each passing second. Mina wasn't sure she could hold on much longer.

But then something strange happened. The crystal began to glow with a bright light.

Beryl screeched, as if she had been burned, and dropped the shining orb to the ground. A white vapor came out of it then, and slowly took the shape of a person. She had very, very long white-purple hair, and skin as white as snow and fair as silk. A shining face took form, with bright, sparkling lavender eyes. A loud, clear voice filled the room. "Beryl," it said. The voice seemed to be full of hope and protection. Mina eased up a little. "You think you have won. But you have been defeated. Once and for all. Peace will be restored to the Moon Kingdom and the rest of the Universe. You are dead."

"No!" shouted Beryl. Then, the form of Tuxedo Mask wavered and vanished. Mina couldn't believe it. It wasn't him! It was just an image! If only Serena could know. . .

White light filled the room, and became so intense that Mina could not see. She heard the booming voice in her head. "Be at peace, Princess Mina of Venus," it said.

She closed her eyes, and the world went black.

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Serena felt like she was floating. The world was all black around her, but she could see her own body, just floating there in the black abyss. She did a quick scan: she was in one piece. But where was she? Then she suddenly realized that she couldn't feel any pain.

_Am I dead?_

Sailor Moon was pretty sure that she was. But was this heaven? No, it couldn't be. Maybe it was some sort of holding chamber until Saint Peter had a free time slot at the Pearly Gates. Maybe.

Suddenly, she saw a shape taking form in front of her. It was as if someone were walking out of a dense, dark fog. At first, she feared it might be Queen Beryl, but then the face swam into focus and she recognized who it was.

Mina.

Serena reached out and embraced her companion. She noticed that she didn't look wounded, either. Serena didn't know what had happened to her after she had been knocked out; she didn't even know what happened when Beryl got the crystal. But now she figured that Mina had died as well, and was here with her in this waiting-room for Heaven.

Sailor Moon began to notice other shapes taking form in the darkness. Lita, Raye, and Amy came into view, and they all embraced each other and shed silent tears. It was Sailor Venus who spoke first.

"We've won, guys," she said. "After Serena d—blacked out," she choked, "the Crystal got really bright, and then—and then—Queen Serenity appeared."

"What?" Amy, Lita and Raye gasped at once.

Mina kept talking, "And then, she told Beryl that she had lost, and that peace will be restored and that—" She had a hard time finding the right words, "that Beryl was dead."

Another gasp from the group, this time Serena included. Could it be true? Had they really won, even though Beryl had gained possession of the Moon Crystal?

"Also, before the bright light came, I saw Tuxedo Mask's body waver, and then vanish in a cloud of vapor. Serena, it wasn't really him. It was just an image, conjured up by Queen Beryl to give you more grief! Don't you see? She was attacking you where it hurt most."

Serena's couldn't believe her ears. Was it true? Was Darien telling the truth that he hadn't been there with Beryl in her bathroom? She wanted to cry tears of joy.

Their thoughts were interrupted when a pale amethyst glow appeared some distance away. It moved closer, getting larger and larger all the time. Finally, it was almost human-sized, and a woman appeared.

Queen Serenity.

"My girls," she said in a voice as smooth as glass, "I am so proud of you."

Words were not needed to convey their feelings. Inside, they could feel their spirits soaring with joy, soon forgetting about all that had transpired, just happy to be with each other. It was Serenity who spoke first.

"You behaved admirably. Your actions will never be forgotten." A tear rolled down her soft cheek. "But your task is not yet complete. You have more time to spend on Earth before you can return to your true home in the Silver Millennium. Never forget anything that you have accomplished, and keep pushing forward. Even though Beryl herself is gone, her minions still walk the Universe, and will be out to seek revenge. And remember, never, ever turn your backs on your friends. They are all you have." With that, she began to fade away.

Serena made a frantic call, "Mother! Oh please, don't leave!" Tears were streaming freely down her face. Her eyes became puffy and red.

"It's time for you to return to Earth," said the Queen. "Never forget your duty to your Universe."

"We never will," said Mina. Then, Queen Serenity faded away into the darkness, and their world went completely black.

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Serena woke up lying on something hard. She cracked open her eyes and managed to pull herself up with the help of a nearby rock.

She was still in the cave.

As the Moon Princess surveyed her surroundings, she saw the other girls struggling to get up. She looked down at her own body. There were cuts and bruises everywhere; her hands were stained in blood. Her uniform was covered in dirt. There was a gaping hole in the front where the Crystal used to be.

Serena pulled herself up on wobbly legs. Amy, Lita and Mina were standing up, too. Mina's wrist hung at an odd angle, and the cut on Lita's arm was still bleeding. They were all covered in dirt and splotches of dried blood. The only person missing was Raye, who they soon found.

"Guys. . ." she moaned. "I can't move."

Her eyes were out of focus, and she was slumped against the wall. The girls rushed over to her. As they did, Mina nearly tripped over something. When she looked down to see what it was, she saw that the Moon Crystal was lying at her feet, faintly glowing. She picked it up with the gentlest care, feeling its warmth soak into her hands. She also felt a great power residing within its murky depths.

"Serena," she called over to her. Serena came over immediately and Mina passed the Crystal into her hands. Before it even touched Serena, it floated up on its own and fixed itself to the hole in Sailor Moon's uniform. The girls watched in awe. Serena's eyes closed, soaking in the power, and her body glowed gently. Then the moment was over.

"I'm glad to have it back," said Serena.

"Um, over here?" called a voice from behind them. Raye was still on the ground.

"Oh, sorry," said Mina.

When they reached her, Amy surveyed her body.

"She's broken a lot of things," said Amy. "I don't think it's safe that we move her."  
"But what are we supposed to do?" yelled Lita in a frenetic voice. "We can't get the paramedics up here. What would they say? What would we say? How did we get here? They won't even know where the heck we are!"

"I know what to do," said Serena trance-like. She walked over to Raye and put her hands up on either side of the Crystal. They girls watched as light flowed from the Crystal to Serena's hands. She then held her hands over various parts of Raye's body and the light flowed from them and seeped into her skin. Slowly, Raye's broken body began to mend. She had taken a hard blow against the wall. She would later tell her friends that she got into a fight with a rock and the rock won. But right now, she was just watching in wonder as her closest friend healed her. When she was done, Serena slumped to the floor, exhausted.

"Thank you, Serena," Raye whispered. Then, Mina picked up Serena, and they flew home.

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Back at the apartment, Darien was pacing. He had transformed into Tuxedo Mask when he had sensed that Sailor Moon was in trouble, but he had no idea where she was. It was like something was blocking her signals to him, some dark energy. Then, something devastating happened. He felt their connection sever completely. This could only mean one thing: Princess Serenity had died. Endymion fell to his knees and cried his heart out. He was utterly, completely crushed. The love of his life, who he had had a connection to since they were very small, was now no longer alive. He felt empty inside, as if some part of him was missing. In essence, it was. Then, there was a scuffling at the door. He stood up, his mind on full alert. Whatever was coming through that door, he would be ready. Rage filled his body and mind and completely took over. He strode over to the door and opened it.

He stood face-to-face with Serena.

He was absolutely shocked. She had died! He knew it! Yet here she was, standing in front of him. . .

Serena reached out and gave him the biggest hug ever. Darien returned it. They were so happy to see each other. Serena was so ecstatic to know that he would never, ever betray her. She felt the bond between them suddenly grow stronger, like a thick rope pulled tight and turned to gold.

Darien pulled her off of him, gently.

"Serena, wha—what happened. . ."

She pressed a finger to his lips. "Let's sit down, shall we?" Followed by the gang, she sat down on the couch, and began to explain all that had happened. Darien just sat the entire time in silent awe.

At the end of the story, he didn't sat in silence for a bit, then said:

"Well, I'm glad that's over. Let's go to the Arcade."

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Late that night, Serena had one final dream.

_She was walking through the same forest, the leaves tickling her arms and legs. She found the lone image of Endymion, standing alone in the moonlight. When she approached him, a smile lit up his face._

_"You found me," he said quietly. "You found the truth. Now all you need is to forgive me."_

_"Forgive you for what?" she asked._

_"For ever doubting you. When you were gone, our connection was severed. You were gone. I thought you were dead, and that we would never see each other again. And when you told me about your encounter with Beryl in the bathroom, and at the park, I thought you were making things up and jeopardizing our group. But I was wrong. Will you forgive me?"_

_"Of course," she said, and they pulled each other in tight and kissed for some unknown amount of time. This time, they were not interrupted by a phone ringing. The only sounds were the natural noises of the night._

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Well, I really hope that you enjoyed my story! If you have anything to say, feel free to either message me or leave a review. Thank you for reading! I appreciate it so much.


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